Hours before the 70th anniversary Ballon d’Or gala kicked off at the London Palladium, an embarrassing digital mishap threw organizers France Football into temporary chaos.
A Content Management System glitch caused the award’s official website to simultaneously publish three separate pre-written articles. One declared Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane the winner, while the other two proclaimed Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
Screenshots of all three headlines flooded social media, sparking confusion and widespread accusations of an accidental leak. Organizers moved quickly to remove the posts, issuing a statement clarifying that draft profiles had been prepared in advance for each candidate and that the simultaneous publishing was an administrative error rather than an early revelation.
Despite the pre-ceremony blunder, the official unveiling proceeded as planned, with Ronaldo presenting the top prize to Harry Kane. The 33-year-old striker made history as the first English player to win the award in 25 years. Kane, who notched a career-best 73 goals across all competitions, also collected the Men’s Gerd Müller Trophy.
In the women’s category, Barcelona and Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas captured her third career Women’s Ballon d’Or.
Additional honors went to Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal for the Kopa Trophy (Men’s Young Talent), Vicky López for Women’s Young Talent, Athletic Club’s Unai Simón for the Yashin Trophy (Men’s Goalkeeper), and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, who received the Sócrates Award presented by Nigerian music star Burna Boy for his charitable work in Rwanda.
