Harry Kane Claims Ballon d’Or as Bayern Munich Striker Ends England’s 25-Year Wait
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has won the Ballon d’Or, breaking a 25-year drought for English football and claiming the 70th edition of France Football’s prestigious prize on a stage in London. At 33 years old, the England captain captured the award following a prolific campaign that saw him net 73 goals and provide 8 assistants across 65 appearances in all competitions for club and country. He succeeded Ousmane Dembélé as the holder of the award. England’s long wait dated back to 2001 when Michael Owen won it, and prior to that Stanley Matthews claimed it in 1956 as the nation’s first ever winner.
Record-Breaking Season in Germany and International Play
Kane’s dominant run with Bayern Munich yielded three domestic trophies, including the Bundesliga title, the DFB-Pokal, and the DFL Supercup, alongside a third-place finish with the Three Lions at the World Cup. He became the first Bundesliga player to win the award since Matthias Sammer in 1996 and the first Bayern Munich representative to take the honor since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. Sky Sport noted the exact time of the announcement at 23:51.
Global Media Reacts to the Victory
International outlets offered soaring assessments of the forward’s evolution. In Germany, Bild hailed the striker as the “king of the football world,” while France’s L’Équipe dubbed him “King Harry” after noting his transformation from a traditional penalty-box scorer into a complete playmaker and goalscorer. Spain’s Marca described the win as carrying the “greatest thrill of the history” of the award, and AS remarked that the player is “no longer cursed” following years of near-misses for team trophies earlier in his career. Spox called it the “ultimative Krönung,” and kicker celebrated the successor to Sammer. The Daily Mail dubbed the Bayern star “Kane the Conqueror,” while Gazzetta dello Sport praised him as a great goalscorer who is also good in build-up play and distinguished by his unpretentious manner off the pitch, staying normal in a world of superstars with enormous egos. Le Parisien described the coronation of a determined goalscorer and a changing player long underestimated, and Le Monde highlighted that he has reached the summit of football after reinventing himself at Bayern München. The Sun cheered Ja, er KANE!
as the star was visibly moved with his voice breaking with emotion, adding that he likely dreamed of the moment since he first kicked a ball, while the BBC noted that his previous best placement for the award was tenth and questioned whether he has a good chance to defend it next year.
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