Harry Kane wins first English Ballon d'Or in 25 years
Bayern striker takes individual prize only after leaving Tottenham, loyalty to a club built on losing ends with gold in Munich
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Harry Kane poses with the Ballon d’Or award (PA)
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Harry Kane won the Ballon d'Or at Tuesday night's ceremony in London, becoming the first English player to take football's most famous individual prize in 25 years. Michael Owen was the last Englishman to win it, in 2001. Kane succeeds Ousmane Dembele as holder, seeing off contenders including Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.
The award caps a season of 73 goals for club and country, including 61 in 51 club games — a single-campaign record for Bayern Munich, the club Kane joined in 2023 after a decade at Tottenham. The route there was not smooth. Kane spent four loan spells away from Spurs before establishing himself, and by his own account the obstacles were as often internal as external. "A lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it, I had to show self-belief, determination," he told Sky Sports.
While Yamal and Mbappe gave interviews building up their own cases, Kane stayed largely quiet before the ceremony. After the result was confirmed he posted a single line on social media: "Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise." Some read it as a comment on the ceremony itself; Kane said the quote is one he has lived by for much of his career. "I like to do the work behind the scenes. Sometimes when no one is watching is the best time to improve, let everything else explode on the pitch. There is no better way to do that than win this award."
The timing is the part worth sitting with. Ten years as Tottenham's record scorer and England's all-time top scorer produced personal milestones and team trophies that read like consolation prizes. The individual gold arrived only after the move to Munich, at 33 — the transfer his English critics mocked as a betrayal of loyalty turned out to be the only trade that delivered what his career was missing. Kane himself admitted the award required patience. The clubs that spend on winning, in other words, manufactured the season that finally made him undeniable.
Kane's voice cracked during his acceptance speech, Bild reported from the ceremony. He had waited a long time to give it.