Harry Kane Ends 25-Year Wait for an English Ballon d'Or Winner

Harry Kane has become the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d'Or, collecting the award at a ceremony in London on Monday after a season of heavy scoring for Bayern Munich and England.

The 33-year-old forward netted 73 goals for club and country last campaign, finishing as the top scorer in Europe. He also broke scoring records in Germany and at the World Cup, where he captained England to third place.

Kylian Mbappé finished second in the voting. Lamine Yamal, named best young talent for a third consecutive year, came next, followed by 2024 winner Rodri and Lionel Messi, the record eight-time winner.

Kane, visibly emotional, used his speech to address young players and spoke about the struggles of his early career. "My journey wasn't straightforward. I wasn't the kid who went straight to the top. I had to experience the downs," he said, adding that he hoped his story could inspire others. He credited hard work, resilience, determination and self-belief.

He thanked his teammates, coaches, parents and children, joking "It's past your bedtime" to the latter. He also paid tribute to his wife Kate, calling her his best friend and biggest supporter.

On the pitch, Kane led Bayern to a Bundesliga and German Cup double, scoring a hat trick against Stuttgart in the cup final. Bayern also reached the Champions League semifinals. At the World Cup he scored six goals, overtaking Gary Lineker as England's all-time leading scorer at the tournament and moving into the top five in its history. England lost to Argentina in the semifinals but beat Mbappé's France in the third-place match, their best World Cup finish in 60 years.

No Englishman had won the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001. Kane said holding the ceremony in London felt like a good omen. "It's been too long," he said, calling playing for England his biggest honor. England coach Thomas Tuchel said the team was "lucky to have you as our leader" and that he had run out of superlatives to describe Kane's performances.

Fans filled the streets near the London Palladium and climbed light poles to see arriving players. Kane signed autographs on his way in, and supporters chanted his name as he left the venue near Oxford Circus after midnight. He planned only a modest celebration, with a cup game on Wednesday and an early Tuesday flight to Munich for training. The ceremony was staged in London for the first time to mark the 70th anniversary of the first winner, England's Stanley Matthews, in 1956.

Earlier in the evening, Spain's Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or for a record-equaling third time. The 32-year-old midfielder led her former club Barcelona to several trophies last season, including the Women's Champions League, and helped Spain win the Women's Nations League last December. She has since joined London City Lionesses.

Putellas ended the three-year reign of Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati, who was not on this year's shortlist after breaking her leg in December. Putellas previously won in 2021 and 2022. She urged young players to play with "love and passion" and to believe in themselves, and described her 14 seasons at Barcelona as "a perfect story."