Harry Kane has won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first English player to claim football’s top individual honour since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich striker was crowned the world’s best player at a ceremony in London.
Harry Kane (Credits: BBC Sport)
The 33-year-old beat Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, who finished second, and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who completed the top three. An emotional Kane said being honoured in London made the night extra special, thanking voters and praising the world-class players in the room.
Harry Kane Ballon d’Or Win: The Numbers Behind It
Kane’s case was built on staggering numbers rather than major trophies. He scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most ever by a Bayern Munich player in a single campaign, and 73 goals in 65 matches including England duty, with eight assists.
His 61 club goals were 19 more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues, and the most since Cristiano Ronaldo also scored 61 for Real Madrid 11 years ago. He finished as Bundesliga top scorer with 36 goals, 17 clear of anyone else, scored 14 in the Champions League, and netted a hat-trick in the German Cup final win over Stuttgart.
Only Lionel Messi’s 82 goals for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12 stand above Kane’s 73 in a season among players from Europe’s top leagues. That puts the England captain ahead of Gerd Muller, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland and Luis Suarez on the all-time single-season list.
Why Kane Bucked the Ballon d’Or Trend
Remarkably, Kane wins the award despite losing in both the World Cup and Champions League semi-finals last season. His previous best Ballon d’Or finish was 10th, and he becomes the first Bayern player to win it since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
He is only the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen. England manager Thomas Tuchel said he had long run out of superlatives for Kane, calling it extra special that he is the first Englishman in 25 years to win it. To mark the occasion, the Wembley arches were lit up in gold on Monday night.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
