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Harry Kane Ballon d'Or GFX 1:1GOAL

Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or success has secured the striker the superstar status he's long deserved

After being undervalued for the majority of his career, the England captain's greatness has finally been recognised by the footballing world

Mark Doyle

  • Good things do come to those who wait, apparently. Shortly before 11pm on Monday evening, more than an hour after a dreadfully drawn-out Ballon d'Or ceremony should have ended, Harry Kane was confirmed as the winner of the men's Golden Ball for 2026 - and it was immediately clear how much it meant to him.

    Kane placed his hands over his face as he took a moment to compose himself, but even after making his way onto the stage at the London Palladium, after classily shaking the hands of his principal rivals for the prize, the Englishman was a little lost for words - other than "Wow!", which he repeated over and over again.

    "I am almost speechless," the striker said. As it transpired, he was anything but. Kane spoke for more than 12 minutes, which was, in truth, the last thing anyone really wanted at the end of a show that lasted for more than hours. However, it was difficult to begrudge Kane his moment in the spotlight, particularly as he spent the majority of his time on stage thanking those who he felt had put him there.

    This was classic Kane, almost humble to a fault, which perfectly illustrated why he made for such a refreshing choice of winner. While others were talking up their chances of success in the run-up to the event, Kane was playing down his, aware that the lack of a major international or club honour on his resume might well count against him. He may have fired Bayern to a domestic double last season but there was, as ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino pointed out, a risk that Kane might be "punished" for not getting his hands on either the World Cup or the Champions League.

    If there's one thing we know, though, it's that Ballon d'Or voters value goals above all else - and nobody scored more than Kane (73) over the course of the 2025-26 campaign. In fact, only Lionel Messi has ever racked up more over the course of any European season (81 in 2011-12).

    It should go without saying that the debate over Kane's triumph will continue to rage, but really only in Madrid and Barcelona, because the rest of the football world recognise his is a story of endurance and excellence well worth celebrating.

  • No one-season wonder

    Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City - Premier League
    Getty Images Sport

    Kane enjoyed a brilliant breakout season at Tottenham in 2014-15, but not everyone was convinced

    As Kane admitted himself to DAZN, "I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now."

    Even after he sensationally scored 21 times in 34 appearances for Tottenham in 2014-15, there were those who dismissed him as a 'one-season wonder'. "I know I am more than that," he said at the time, and he was right. But not even Kane really believed himself to be a future Ballon d'Or winner - at least not initially.

    Jose Mourinho saw his full potential during their time together at Tottenham, though. "I saw you training yesterday and I have no doubts that you are a leader - that is my feeling," the Portuguese told Kane during a famous exchange during Amazon's 'All or Nothing' documentary on Spurs. "The world looks to English football with an incredible respect, but they still think that the movie stars of football belong to other places. We have to build your status in that direction."

    That objective has now been realised but, for all Kane's attempts to share the credit, it's really all down to his perseverance - and, perhaps just as importantly, his bravery.

  • No regrets

    TOPSHOT-FBL-GER-BUNDESLIGA-BAYERN MUNICH-KANE
    AFP

    The England captain deserves credit for making the bold move to leave his native north London for Munich

    While Kane has proven patience is a virtue, he simply would not have won the Ballon d'Or had he not decided to leave Tottenham for Bayern Munich three years ago.

    He had always dreamed of winning titles with the team he joined as an 11-year-old, but he'd reluctantly accepted that it simply wasn't going to happen, and that the longer he stayed at Spurs, the less chance he had of ending one of the most infamous trophy droughts in football. "I have always said I never want to retire and feel like I could have done more," he stated back in 2023.

    Of course, his preference was to join another Premier League team so that he could remain in England, and the common consensus was that Kane just wasn't the right kind of character to thrive in another country. But he backed himself to adapt, having been inspired by David Beckham's transfer to Real Madrid in 2003.

    "He was my idol," Kane told TNT Sports. "We went to the same school, we grew up in the same area, he was England captain when I was growing up. So, I wanted to follow in his footsteps [by playing abroad]. I know it's not something that many English players do, but it's the best thing I've ever done." There can be absolutely no disputing that claim now.

    Both Kane's game, and his status, have been elevated to a whole other level since joining Bayern, and while he was always likely to excel in Bavaria, it should not be forgotten just how much pressure he was under when he first arrived at the Allianz Arena.

  • 'Let success be your noise'

    FBL-AWARD-BALLON D'OR-2026
    AFP

    The 33-year-old is rightly enjoying his moment in the spotlight

    Kane was essentially Bayern's belated replacement for the outstanding Robert Lewandowski - but plenty of people questioned the club's decision to pay £100 million ($127m) for a 30-year-old striker. As far as Lothar Matthaus was concerned, he was ""too old and too expensive".

    If anything, though, Kane has proven a bargain buy. Very few nine-figure footballers have contributed anywhere near as much to their clubs as the England captain, who has scored a frankly absurd 156 goals in just 159 appearances for Bayern.

    The success of his transfer goes beyond numbers, though. Everything that's happened since has changed the way he is perceived, both in England and around the world. Kane was undervalued for an awfully long time, and primarily because he didn't conform to some people's expectations of what a world-class footballer should look or sound like.

    Kane never let the doubters get him down, though, and it was only right that he took time out to bask in his Ballon d'Or glory. "Work hard in silence," he wrote on social media. "Let success be your noise." And at the London Palladium on Monday evening, it was his name, not that of Kylian Mbappe or Lamine Yamal or Lionel Messi, that was ringing around the arena.

    Admittedly, individual honours can lack meaning within a team sport but, for Kane, the Ballon d'Or represented long overdue recognition, an enormously satisfying mix of vindication and validation.

    One is perfectly entitled to argue that better players have never won the award. There was one stood just to Kane's left, in fact, but it was telling that Thierry Henry felt compelled to pay tribute to the man who'd just become the fourth-oldest recipient of the Ballon d'Or.

    "I would always back my fellow Frenchmen. but I have to say something about Harry Kane: I have seen him since the beginning," the Arsenal icon said. "He had to suffer really hard to achieve what he has achieved. A worthy winner." And now, at 33, a fully-fledged footballing superstar.