Harry Kane Becomes First Englishman to Win Ballon d'Or in 25 Years

Harry Kane became the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d'Or, France Football's award for the world's best men's player, at a ceremony held Monday night at the London Palladium. The Bayern Munich and England captain beat Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal to the trophy, ending a wait that stretched back to Michael Owen's win in 2001, according to Sky Sports and Al Jazeera.

The award, presented at the ceremony by former winner Cristiano Ronaldo, capped a season in which Kane scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich as the club won the German league and cup double, then added six goals for England at the World Cup as the team reached the semifinals. Across club and country combined, Kane finished the campaign with 73 goals. Mbappé finished second in the voting, with Yamal, who helped Spain win the tournament, in third. Manchester City's Rodri and Barcelona's Lionel Messi rounded out the top five.

Kane, speaking on stage, said he felt "almost speechless" and that winning the award felt "beyond my wildest dreams." He described his route to the top as "not straightforward," recalling the loan spells he endured as a young player struggling to break through at Tottenham Hotspur before his 2023 move to Bayern Munich, where he has gone on to win the trophies that eluded him in England. He thanked teammates including Michael Olise, Luis Díaz, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham, calling the individual award one that "wouldn't be possible" without them.

Kane is only the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen. England head coach Thomas Tuchel called the award "deserved" and praised Kane's leadership of the national team.

A ceremony with a few surprises

The gala itself ran 45 minutes late because of traffic delays in central London, and the result had already partly leaked hours earlier when the Ballon d'Or's own website briefly published, then removed, three articles naming Kane, Yamal and Mbappé as the winner before the ceremony began. In the women's competition, Barcelona's Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d'Or Féminin. Paris Saint-Germain was named club of the year, Yamal won the award for the competition's best young player, and Saka received the Socrates Award recognizing humanitarian work off the pitch.