Harry Kane has made history by becoming the first English player to be named Germany's footballer of the year, claiming the prestigious Kicker magazine award for 2026.

The Bayern Munich striker produced an extraordinary campaign last season, netting 61 goals across all competitions as Bayern completed a league and cup double and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. That remarkable tally also earned Kane the 2026 Golden Shoe on Wednesday, recognising him as the top scorer across Europe's elite leagues.

The award, organised by Kicker magazine and decided by 695 members of the German sports journalists association, is open to Bundesliga players and German players competing abroad. Kane collected 272 votes, comfortably ahead of Bayern team-mate Michael Olise — runner-up for the second year running — who gathered 203 votes. Florian Wirtz had beaten Olise to the award in 2025.

Eberl's glowing tribute

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl struggled to find adequate words for Kane's achievement: "It's almost impossible to find the right superlatives to describe Harry Kane — sometimes I'm at a loss for words. He's already been named England's Footballer of the Year, and now he's also won it in Germany."

Ballon d'Or in sight

The England captain is now among the frontrunners for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, which will be presented in London in October. Should he lift the trophy, Kane would become only the second English player to win the honour while representing a German club — following Kevin Keegan, who claimed it back-to-back in 1978 and 1979 during his time at Hamburg.

A night to remember at the Allianz Arena

Kane and Bayern boss Vincent Kompany — named coach of the year — will be honoured on Friday when Bayern open their Bundesliga campaign against VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena. Kompany's Bayern side had already begun the season in style, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup on Saturday. Bayern women's captain Giulia Gwinn rounded out a triumphant evening for the club by winning the best female player award.