Best reaction to Harry Kane winning Ballon d'Or
Harry Kane has become the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001
Kane was crowned the world's best player at a ceremony in London.
Author | Josh T
 |
| Bayern Munich lights up in gold |
The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker is the fifth Englishman to win the award, following Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966) and Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979).
Scotland's Denis Law (1964) and Northern Ireland's George Best (1968) are the other winners from the United Kingdom.
Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe finished second, with Barcelona and Spain attacker Lamine Yamal completing the top three.
Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club appearances last season, the most ever by a Bayern player in a single campaign. Including his England matches, his tally stood at 73 goals, alongside eight assists, in 65 appearances.
Only one player at a club in Europe's top five leagues has ever scored more goals in a single season.
However, Kane wins the award despite failing to lift either of football's biggest prizes last season, having been eliminated in the semi-finals of both the World Cup and Champions League.
Kane playing for Bayern during 25/26 season
Remarkably, the Three Lions captain becomes the first Bayern player to win the Ballon d'Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
To celebrate Kane's achievement, the Wembley arches were illuminated in gold on Monday night.
A worthy end to a fantastic 12 months
In terms of trophies, Kane may have 'only' lifted the German double last season. However, that more than doubled his career trophy haul, having also won the Bundesliga the previous season.
In terms of individual output, though, Kane, whose previous best Ballon d'Or finish was 10th, was unmatched last season.
His 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern were 19 more than any other player managed in Europe's top five leagues.
Indeed, it was the highest tally recorded by any player since Cristiano Ronaldo also scored 61 goals for Real Madrid 11 years ago.
Kane finished as the Bundesliga's top scorer with 36 goals, 17 clear of his nearest rival. He also scored 14 times in the Champions League for Bayern, who were beaten in the semi-finals.
In the German Cup, he scored 10 goals, including a hat-trick in the 3-0 final victory over Stuttgart, and also found the net once in the German Super Cup.
Guard of honour for Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane 🏆 🎥 @SebSB https://t.co/rQRCN5qnFm
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) October 28, 2026
No player has ever scored as many goals in a single season for Bayern, a club that has boasted legendary goalscorers such as Gerd MĂĽller, Rummenigge and, more recently, Robert Lewandowski.
Kane's 12 goals for England last season, including six at the World Cup, brought his overall tally to 73.
Only one player in history from Europe's top leagues has scored more in a single season: Lionel Messi, who netted 82 times for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12.
