After the announcement of Harry Kane winning the Ballon d'Or: a striking move from the Real Madrid channel

What happened?

Real Madrid's television channel landed in controversy after the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The channel pulled its broadcast of the event, held on Monday evening at the London Palladium theatre, the moment it became clear that England's Harry Kane had won the award rather than Real Madrid's French star Kylian Mbappe.

Spanish newspaper "Sport" reported that the channel cut the feed swiftly after officials announced the Bayern Munich striker as the winner. A message then appeared on screen claiming the content was unavailable for reasons relating to audiovisual broadcasting rights, a line that raised eyebrows over the timing of the blackout.

Kane earned his crown after an exceptional season, scoring 73 goals in 65 matches, 61 of them for Bayern Munich. That haul carried him past his rivals to football's most prestigious individual prize.

Mbappe finished second. Spain's Lamine Yamal also ranked highly, collecting the best young player award for the third year running.

According to the newspaper, some observers reckoned Mbappe could have won the Ballon d'Or, though doubts lingered over whether he deserved it. He claimed no team titles during the previous season, and his goalscoring tally was not the highest among the contenders.

Real Madrid's television channel ranks among the club's main mouthpieces for airing its positions. Its name has recently been linked to video clips criticising refereeing performances, material that prompted objections from rival clubs who saw it as a way of piling pressure on officials before matches. The club has faced no penalties over it.