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Harry Kane: Belated Glory

Aditya Iyer
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He has ended England’s 25-year wait for the Ballon d’Or
For a player long defined by what he had not won, Harry Kane never stopped believing he would
For a player long defined by what he had not won, Harry Kane never stopped believing he would Credits: Getty Images

It is incredible to think that until just two years ago, a whole season after he had become a Bayern Munich striker, Harry Kane hadn’t won a single trophy in his long and illustrious professional career. Not one. Not in club football, be it in England or Germany, not with his country, whom he captained as early as the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Yet, just two short years later, England’s captain ended up hoisting the most coveted individual trophy in football—the Ballon d’Or.

This is a remarkable feat in a World Cup year, given how often the award gravitates towards players who win the World Cup or the Champions League. Often both. Kane won neither, England and Bayern falling at the semifinal stage in 2026. But with 61 goals in 51 appearances for his club—a single-season record at Munich—and six goals for England at the World Cup, the 33-year-old had done enough to pip France’s Kylian Mbappé and Spain’s Lamine Yamal.

The victory ended England’s 25-year wait for a men’s Ballon d’Or winner, the last being Michael Owen in 2001. Kane’s triumph was built on extraordinary numbers. He scored 73 goals for club and country, helping Bayern to the Bundesliga and German Cup double while winning the European Golden Shoe. Bayern had paid Euro 100 million for him in 2023, investing in a striker yet to win a major team trophy. For a player long defined by what he had not won, he never stopped believing he would. This week, that stoic belief glinted in his hands.