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Harry Kane Wins Ballon d'Or, First Englishman Since 2001

Did Kane's individual brilliance merit the Ballon d'Or or did voters overlook greater success on soccer's biggest stages?

5 hours ago·Updated 10 minutes ago

Harry Kane Wins Ballon d'Or, First Englishman Since 2001

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Above: The Piccadilly Lights screen in London congratulates Ballon d'Or recipient Harry Kane, on Oct. 27. Image credit: Leon Neal/Staff/Getty Images

The Facts

Harry Kane won the men's Ballon d'Or at a ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday, becoming the first English player to win soccer's top individual award since Michael Owen in 2001. He is the fifth Englishman to receive it.
The Guardian
Al Jazeera
Sky Sports
Kane traveled back to Munich for training Tuesday and will be available for Wednesday's German Cup game against Magdeburg, assistant coach Aaron Danks said. Bayern president Herbert Hainer called it a proud day for the club.
EuroNews
FOX Sports
Kane finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe in the voting, with Lamine Yamal third, 2024 winner Rodri fourth and eight-time winner Lionel Messi fifth. Yamal, 19, also took the men's young talent award for a third straight year.
NPR
Reuters
The Telegraph
Kane scored 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern and England last season, including 61 in 51 club matches, the highest club total in Europe's top five leagues since Cristiano Ronaldo also hit 61 in 2014-15. He led the Bundesliga with 36 goals.
BBC News
La Gazzetta dello Sport
Daily Mail
Hours before the ceremony, the Ballon d'Or website published three separate articles naming Kane, Mbappe and Yamal as the men's winner, and all three were taken down. The event also began later than scheduled.
Independent
Daily Mail
Alexia Putellas won a record-equaling third women's Ballon d'Or after helping Barcelona to the Women's Champions League last season. The Spain midfielder, who joined London City Lionesses, previously won the award in 2021 and 2022.
NPR
The Times (UK)
The Sun

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Kane's Ballon d'Or was the only sensible call: unmatched finishing, elite playmaking and relentless professionalism outweighed trophy-counting. Rewarding sustained individual brilliance over club glamour preserves the award's purpose and honors soccer's finest all-around striker.

BBC News

England National Football Team on X

FC Bayern Munich

Narrative B

Ballon d'Or voting should prize decisive impact on the biggest stages, not let a scoring avalanche eclipse superior team achievement. World Cup glory and back-to-back European supremacy made a stronger case than domestic dominance, so Kane's selection rewarded volume over soccer's highest stakes.