Harry Kane wins historic Ballon d’Or in London ahead of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe

Harry Kane became the first English Ballon d’Or winner in 25 years after beating Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe to football’s most prestigious individual prize in London.

The Bayern Munich forward collected the award in his home city on Monday, becoming the first Englishman to win it since Michael Owen in 2001.

Kane, 33, scored 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country last season, helping Bayern Munich secure a domestic league and cup double. He also scored six times as England reached the World Cup semi-finals and finished third.

“I love to represent my country and to bring this trophy back to them and have an English winner I think is something that’s really, really special, especially here in London,” Kane told AFP.

“What a crazy night and I’m really, really happy.”

The ceremony, the first Ballon d’Or event to be held on English soil, began nearly an hour late because of London traffic, with several high-profile guests arriving after the scheduled start.

Kane is England and Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer, although his major honours have so far been limited to domestic success in Germany. He lost the 2019 Champions League final with Tottenham against Liverpool and has also suffered defeat in two European Championship finals with England.

His move to Bayern Munich in 2023 and his sustained goalscoring form have now earned him the game’s top individual honour.

“Making the move to Bayern Munich was a big step in my career,” Kane told AFP earlier. “Some people saw it as a risk but for me it was always about improving and seeing if I could get better around the team-mates, the team, the club and it has pushed me onto another level.

“Being a number nine for Bayern and England you are expected to score goals and to do that the number of times I did last year is something I’m really proud of,” he added.

Putellas claims third women’s award

Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for a third time, extending Spain’s dominance of the prize. She was recognised for helping Barcelona win last season’s Champions League before moving to London City Lionesses.

Putellas, who also won in 2021 and 2022, has returned to the top of the women’s game after an anterior cruciate ligament injury disrupted her progress four years ago. She succeeded Spain team-mate Aitana Bonmati, whose season was ended by a leg break after she had won the award for the past three years.

“This is a consequence of all that we achieved last season,” Putellas said.

“I am really grateful for having been (at Barcelona) 14 seasons as a player, it is something incredible. It was like a perfect story.”

Yamal won the young talent award for a third successive year but finished third in the main men’s vote. The Barcelona winger, wearing a black suit featuring a pink flower, missed out on becoming the youngest Ballon d’Or winner after failing to produce his best form during Spain’s World Cup success.

Mbappe was runner-up. His wait for the award continues despite being the leading scorer at the World Cup, Champions League and La Liga, with his goals not bringing collective success for France or Real Madrid.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was named men’s coach of the year ahead of Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta after leading Spain to World Cup glory. Barcelona’s Pere Romeu won the women’s coaching award.

Paris Saint-Germain, despite winning a second consecutive Champions League, received the men’s club of the year prize but none of the main individual awards. Unai Simon and Cata Coll were named the best men’s and women’s goalkeepers respectively.