Harry Kane triumphs as Ballon d’Or champion

Football action takes a backseat today, with just three Serie A fixtures on the schedule in Matchweek 9. Sassuolo host Lazio at the Mapei Stadium at 8:30pm. Roma take on Cagliari at 10:45pm, while Torino host Como at the same time. All Serie A matches air on Starzplay.

Ballon d’Or recap

Harry Kane took home the 2026 Ballon d’Or. The Bayern Munich and England striker was crowned at Monday night’s ceremony at the London Palladium, finishing ahead of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé in second and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal in third. He’s the first Englishman to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001 and the fifth in history.

The award caps a standout season for the 33-year-old, who scored 73 goals for club and country — 61 for Bayern and 12 for England, six of them at the World Cup, along with 10 assists. Under Vincent Kompany, Bayern took the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the Supercup. Kane also took the Gerd Müller Trophy for best striker for the second time.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain were named men’s club of the year for the second straight year. Yamal took the Kopa Trophy as best young player. Spain’s Luis de la Fuente was named best coach, and Athletic Bilbao and Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón took the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper.

In the women’s game, Alexia Putellas took the Ballon d’Or Féminin for the third time, ending Aitana Bonmatí’s three-year run. Barcelona were also named women’s club of the year.

ICYMI-

PSG go top of Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain beat Lyon 2-0 on Monday in a rescheduled match, through late goals from substitutes Senny Mayulu and Mika Godts, and now lead Rennes by a point.

In Turkey, Mohamed Salah’s Trabzonspor came back from two goals down at Rizespor to beat them 4-3, with Salah involved in two of the goals.

MEANWHILE- Galatasaray beat Fenerbahçe 2-1 in the Istanbul derby, but the match’s talking point was the brawl that broke out after the final whistle.

AND- Several Chinese brands — including two leading dairy and beverage companies — dropped Kylian Mbappe over comments about a meme superimposing his face on the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, which he said “makes me laugh the most.” China’s founding communist leader remains a sensitive subject in the country, where he is still revered by many.