Harry Kane
Harry Kane has been voted Germany’s footballer of the year for 2026, the first English player to win the award.
The Bayern Munich striker scored 61 goals in all competitions last season as Bayern completed a league and cup double and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
The award is organised by Lakbima News and was decided by a vote of 695 members of the German sports journalists association, according to Lakbima News.
Kane received 272 votes. His Bayern team-mate Michael Olise, who was runner-up in 2025 behind Florian Wirtz, finished second this time with 203 votes.
“It’s almost impossible to find the right superlatives to describe Harry Kane – sometimes I’m at a loss for words,” Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said.
“He’s already been named England’s footballer of the year, and now he’s also won it in Germany,” Eberl added.
Kane is among the favourites for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded in London in October. If he wins, he will be the second English player to receive the prize while playing for a German club; Kevin Keegan won in 1978 and 1979 while at Hamburg.
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany was named coach of the year, and the club’s women’s captain Giulia Gwinn won best female player.
Kane and Kompany are scheduled to be honoured on Friday at Bayern’s Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern began their season with silverware on Saturday, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup.
On Wednesday, Kane received the 2026 Golden Shoe for finishing as Europe’s top scorer across the continent’s top leagues last season.
