Harry Kane has been named Germany’s Footballer of the Year for 2026, becoming the first English player to receive the honour.
The Bayern Munich striker scored 61 goals in all competitions last season as the club won the league and cup double and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
The award, organised by Kicker magazine and decided by 695 members of the German sports journalists’ association, is open to Bundesliga players as well as German players based abroad.
Kane topped the poll with 272 votes. Bayern teammate Michael Olise, who finished second in 2025 behind Florian Wirtz, was again runner-up with 203 votes.
Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said it’s hard to find superlatives strong enough for Kane and that the striker sometimes leaves him lost for words. He noted Kane has already been England’s Footballer of the Year and now holds Germany’s equivalent.
The England captain is among the favourites for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, to be awarded in London in October. A win would make him only the second Englishman to claim the prize while playing for a German club, after Kevin Keegan with Hamburg in 1978 and 1979.
Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany was named Coach of the Year, while women’s captain Giulia Gwinn won Best Female Player.
Kane and Kompany will be honoured on Friday during Bayern’s Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern started the season by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Kane also received the 2026 Golden Shoe as the top scorer across Europe’s leading leagues last season.