Harry Kane came home and took the biggest prize in football.
The Bayern Munich forward became England’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 25 years on Monday, collecting the award in his native London at the Palladium Theatre and beating stiff competition from Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.
The ceremony, the first Ballon d’Or event ever held on English soil, started on a sour note. London traffic delayed the proceedings by nearly an hour, and many of the star names arrived late. But the hometown hero got his happy ending.
Harry Kane’s Season of Staggering Numbers
The 33-year-old Kane scored 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season, driving Bayern to a league and cup double. He also scored six times at the World Cup as England finished third.
Those numbers speak for themselves. So does the context. Since arriving in Germany in 2023, Kane’s trophy cabinet has been limited to domestic honors. He lost the 2019 Champions League final with Tottenham to Liverpool and twice tasted defeat in the European Championship final with England. This award, in other words, is the crowning glory of his career to date, earned through consistency rather than silverware.
He thanked his Bayern teammates first. “The way you guys push me, the way we compete,” he said, adding that none of it would be possible without them.
Earlier, Harry Kane told AFP that his move to Bayern was seen by some as a risk but was always about getting better. As a number nine for club and country, he said, you are expected to score goals, and he is proud of how often he did last year.
Yamal and Mbappe Fall Short
For Yamal, the night was bittersweet. The 19-year-old made the boldest fashion statement of the contenders, a pink flower pinned to a black suit, and won the young talent award for the third straight year. But he missed out on becoming the youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever after failing to hit his best form during Spain’s World Cup triumph.
Mbappe, on the other hand, had the better weekend on the pitch, scoring twice as Real Madrid edged Barcelona, 2-1, in El Clasico on Sunday. His wait for the Ballon d’Or goes on.
Other Winners
Joining Harry Kane was Alexia Putellas, who won the women’s award for a third time, adding to her 2021 and 2022 wins. She led Barcelona to last season’s Champions League before moving to London City Lionesses, and the award completes her return to the top after an anterior cruciate ligament injury derailed her four years ago. She succeeds Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati, who had won the past three years but was sidelined by a leg break for most of last season.
Luis de la Fuente was named men’s coach of the year after leading Spain to World Cup glory, beating Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta. Barcelona’s Pere Romeu took the women’s coach prize, and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka won the Socrates award for his humanitarian work.
Paris Saint-Germain won a second straight Champions League but missed out on the main individual awards. The consolation was men’s club of the year.
