Kane Ends England’s 25-Year Wait, Wins Ballon d’Or

Harry Kane has won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first English player to claim the award in 25 years.

The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker was named the world’s best footballer at a ceremony in London, ending England’s wait since Michael Owen won the trophy in 2001 as a Liverpool forward.

Kane is the fifth Englishman to win the award. Stanley Matthews won it in 1956, Bobby Charlton in 1966, and Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979. Scotland’s Denis Law (1964) and Northern Ireland’s George Best (1968) also won it, making Kane the latest player from the United Kingdom to be honoured.

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe finished second, while Barcelona and Spain youngster Lamine Yamal came third.

Record-breaking season

Kane’s win follows a remarkable campaign in which he scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern, the most by any player in a single season for the German club. Including his games for England, he finished with 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches.

Only Lionel Messi has scored more in a season in Europe’s top five leagues, with 82 goals for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12. Kane’s 61 club goals were 19 more than any other player managed in those leagues last season, and the highest since Cristiano Ronaldo hit 61 for Real Madrid 11 years ago.

The England captain finished as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 36 goals, 17 clear of his closest rival, and scored 14 in the UEFA Champions League despite Bayern’s semi-final exit. He added 10 goals in the German Cup, including a hat-trick in the 3-0 final win over Stuttgart, plus one in the German Super Cup. His 12 goals for England, six of them at the World Cup, completed his tally.

Kane reacts

Speaking to DAZN, Kane said his rise to the top came with challenges and self-doubt.

“Not many people would have thought it, and maybe even I wouldn’t have thought I’d be this far,” he said.

He added that he had to endure many ups and downs early in his career and was never seen as a future superstar. “A lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it,” he said.

Tributes

England manager Thomas Tuchel described the award as a “huge honour”, while Prince William praised Kane as a “brilliant captain” and a “remarkable player”.

Ahead of the ceremony, former England striker Alan Shearer had backed Kane, citing his sustained form for club and country. Ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy also pointed to his consistency, calling him the best centre forward in the world over the past 12 months.

Milestones

Kane won the award even though Bayern did not win the World Cup or the Champions League, having reached the semi-finals of both. He did win the German double last season, more than doubling his career trophy haul after lifting the Bundesliga the year before.

He is also the first Bayern player to win the Ballon d’Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. Bayern have had prolific forwards in Gerd Muller, Rummenigge and Robert Lewandowski, but none scored more in a single season for the club than Kane.

To mark the achievement, the Wembley arches were lit in gold on Monday night. Kane’s previous best finish in the Ballon d’Or voting was 10th.