Harry Kane Named Germany's Player of the Year 2026
BERLIN — Harry Kane’s first full chapter in German football has its headline now: Germany’s Player of the Year 2026.
The Bayern Munich striker swept the prestigious award after a devastating season in front of goal, while his coach Vincent Kompany collected the country’s top coaching prize, underlining Bayern’s grip on the domestic stage.
Kane’s numbers were brutal. Sixty-one goals in all competitions, including the German Supercup, as Bayern retained their Bundesliga crown and added the German Cup. In the cup final, he didn’t just turn up — he tore it apart with a hat trick.
The new season has already started with another trophy. Bayern edged Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Supercup on Saturday. Kane didn’t score this time, but his presence again anchored a side that keeps collecting silverware.
The award, decided by 659 members of the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS) in a poll organized by Kicker magazine, turned into a Bayern-dominated ballot. Kane finished well clear with 272 votes. Teammate Michael Olise was his closest challenger on 203.
- Deniz Undav picked up 61 votes.
- Joshua Kimmich followed with 21.
- Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann received 14.
Kicker reported three invalid ballots in the count.
On the touchline, Kompany’s impact was reflected just as clearly. The Belgian claimed nearly half of all votes cast for the coach of the year award, finishing ahead of Freiburg’s Julian Schuster, last year’s winner. It marks another step in a coaching category long shaped by serial winners such as Jürgen Klopp and Felix Magath, who both have three titles.
The German Player of the Year accolade has been running since 1960, with the coaching award introduced in 2002. Franz Beckenbauer still stands alone at the top of the players’ list with four wins, while last year’s player award went to Florian Wirtz.
Kane has now written his own line into that history. The question is how long he plans on staying there.
