Harry Kane wins Ballon d'Or, the first English winner in 25 years

Harry Kane has been crowned the world's best footballer, winning the men's Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium last night and becoming the first English player to lift the award in 25 years.

The 33-year-old England captain beat Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona's teenage star Lamine Yamal to the sport's biggest individual honour. He is the first Englishman to win it since Michael Owen in 2001, and only the fifth overall.

A season of goals

The award crowns a remarkable run. Kane scored 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England during the 2025-26 season. He is England's all-time top scorer with 91 goals, and his 125 caps put him level with Peter Shilton as the country's most capped player. At Tottenham Hotspur he became the club's record scorer, with 280 goals in 435 appearances, and since moving to Bayern in August 2023 he has won the Bundesliga twice.

Celebrating on social media, Kane summed up his approach: "Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise."

The scenic route

It was not always smooth. As a teenager, Kane was sent on loan to Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City. At Norwich he did not score in three starts and suffered a serious foot injury, and at Leicester he was on the bench, alongside a future England team-mate, Jamie Vardy, when they lost a dramatic Championship play-off at Watford in 2013.

He has admitted that was the hardest time of his career. "I was 19 and I was thinking, 'If I can't play for Norwich or for Leicester, even in the Championship, then how I am going to get back and play for Tottenham?'" he said.

Chris Hughton, his manager at Norwich, remembered a young player who "would stay out after training for half an hour every day, left foot, right foot."

"A credit to himself"

His humility has earned him the description of an "anti-superstar". Former England midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Sport: "He's a born goalscorer. He's a super professional. He's technically brilliant. He's been an absolute credit to himself and his family in the way he's conducted himself and the longevity he's had in his career."

On the same night, Spain's Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or for a record-equalling third time.

One more prize to chase

The one gap on Kane's record is a trophy with England, after two European Championship final defeats and two World Cup semi-final losses. Few would bet against him having one last go at Euro 2028, which is being hosted by the UK and Ireland, with Villa Park among the venues.

If he does, Birmingham fans may yet get to see the world's best player in their own city.