Kane wins Ballon d'Or, first Englishman since Owen in 2001
Harry Kane becomes the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen after a record-breaking scoring season for Bayern Munich and England, despite falling short in the World Cup and Champions League.
Harry Kane has been crowned the world's best player at a ceremony in London, becoming the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich striker, 33, is the fifth English winner overall, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan. Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and France finished second, with Barcelona and Spain's Lamine Yamal completing the top three. An emotional Kane said he was almost speechless and that being honoured in London made it extra special.
Kane's case rested on individual output rather than major silverware. He scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most any Bayern player has managed in a single campaign, and added 12 for England, including six at the World Cup, for 73 goals and eight assists in 65 games. He was the Bundesliga's top scorer with 36 and netted 14 in the Champions League and 10 in the German Cup, including a hat-trick in the final. He also lifted the German double.
The award came despite Kane losing in both the World Cup and Champions League semi-finals. He is the first Bayern player to win since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, and his previous best finish was 10th. Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Sport that Kane's numbers over the past 12 to 18 months made him the deserving winner, while ex-Three Lions player Danny Murphy described his scoring as relentless and called him the best centre forward in the world over the last year.
Winning without a World Cup, Champions League or continental title is unusual: this is only the fifth time in 20 years the prize has gone to a player without one of those trophies, with Kane joining Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in that group. Yamal, a World Cup winner with Spain, had been among the favourites. Last year, Dembele's Champions League success with PSG helped him take the crown.
Attention has already turned to whether Kane can retain the award. He has 16 goals in 16 matches for Bayern and England this season, and Bayern are unbeaten in the Bundesliga and Champions League. No player other than Messi or Ronaldo has won in consecutive years since Marco van Basten in 1988 and 1989, while Yamal, who has started strongly for Barcelona, will hope to go one better after finishing second twice.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
