LONDON — Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or on Monday night at the London Palladium, becoming the first English player to claim soccer’s most famous individual award in 25 years, The Associated Press reported via NPR.
Kane, 33, scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England last season, the most in Europe. He led Bayern to a Bundesliga and German Cup double — with a hat trick in the cup final — and scored six times at the World Cup, passing Gary Lineker as England’s career leader in World Cup goals as the team finished third, its best showing in 60 years.
Kylian Mbappé finished second in the voting, followed by Lamine Yamal, 2024 winner Rodri and eight-time champion Lionel Messi. Yamal was named best young player for a third straight year.
In an emotional speech, Kane told young players his path to the top was not straightforward and urged them to rely on hard work and self-belief. Michael Owen was the last Englishman to win, in 2001.
Sources: Associated Press via NPR. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Voltmetro / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
