Kane ends England's 25-year Ballon d'Or wait - how he bucked the trend

What the report says

Harry Kane has ended a 25-year wait for an English Ballon d’Or winner, becoming the first player from England to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich striker received the honour at a ceremony in London, where he was named the world’s best player for his performances over the previous season. BBC Sport reported that Kane finished ahead of Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe, with a Barcelona and Spain attacker in third place.

Kane, 33, is only the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or, joining Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan among the country’s previous winners. It was also a rare success for a Bayern player, with Kane becoming the club’s first Ballon d’Or recipient since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. His win came despite Bayern not claiming Europe’s top club prize last season.

The BBC said Kane’s case was built on exceptional individual numbers rather than major team trophies. He scored 61 goals for Bayern in all competitions and added 12 for England, taking his season total to 73. That output included Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup goals, and set a new Bayern seasonal scoring record. The article also noted that winning the Ballon d’Or without a World Cup or Champions League triumph is unusual, but not unprecedented.