Harry Kane has been crowned the world's best player after winning the Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on Monday night. The 33-year-old striker becomes the first Englishman to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001 and only the fifth overall.
Kane's victory caps a career that began with loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City. He endured early setbacks, including sitting on the bench alongside Jamie Vardy during Leicester's Championship play-off defeat to Watford in May 2013. Former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood recalled that some wanted Kane removed from Millwall's hostile environment, but Sherwood insisted it was the perfect atmosphere for his development.
Since establishing himself at Tottenham Hotspur, Kane became the club's record scorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances and England's all-time leading scorer with 91 goals in 125 caps, equalling Peter Shilton's appearance record. His move to Bayern Munich in August 2023 brought immediate success: two Bundesliga titles and a remarkable 73 goals in 65 games for club and country during the 2025–26 season.
Kane beat Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to the honour. Described as an "anti-superstar" for his humility, he celebrated with the message: "Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise."
Former England striker Alan Shearer praised Kane's resilience: "He hasn't had things all his own way. He had to start off the hard way... He went out on loan and worked harder than anyone else." Danny Murphy highlighted his professionalism: "He's a born goalscorer... an absolute credit to himself and his family."
The only missing piece in Kane's collection is a major trophy with England, after two European Championship final defeats and two World Cup semi-final exits. He will hope to address that at Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland. Immediately, Bayern face Magdeburg in the DFB-Pokal second round on Wednesday before hosting Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
