Harry Kane has been crowned the world’s best player at a ceremony in London, becoming the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker is the fifth English player to take the award, following Stanley Matthews in 1956, Bobby Charlton in 1966 and Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979. Denis Law of Scotland in 1964 and Northern Ireland’s George Best in 1968 are the other winners from the United Kingdom.
Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe finished second, with Barcelona and Spain attacker Lamine Yamal third.
Kane said his path to the top had not been straightforward. “Not many people would have thought it, and maybe even I wouldn’t have thought I’d be this far,” he told DAZN.
He spoke of enduring ups and downs early in his career, saying he was never viewed as the obvious future superstar and had to rely on self-belief, determination and hard work. “I had to bide my time and work hard,” he said. “A lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he was “delighted” by Kane’s success and described the award as a “huge honour.” Prince William called the former Tottenham Hotspur forward a “brilliant captain” and a “remarkable player.”
Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most any Bayern player has managed in a single campaign. Including England games, he registered 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches. Only one player at a club in Europe’s top five leagues has ever scored more in a season.
He won the award despite not lifting either of football’s biggest prizes last season, having lost in the semi-finals of both the World Cup and the Champions League. He is also the first Bayern player to win the Ballon d’Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
To mark his success, the Wembley arches were lit in gold on Monday night.
