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

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/kane-ends-englands-25-year-ballon-dor-wait-how-he-bucked-the-trend/
- Published: 2026-10-27T07:07:48+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqlye4jpzzxyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Sport, UK, World

## Key points

- Kane ends England’s 25-year wait for a Ballon d’Or winner.
- He scored 73 goals for club and country last season.
- His individual record secured the award despite missing major trophies.

## Summary

Harry Kane has become the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d’Or, taking the award after a record-breaking season with Bayern Munich. His victory is unusual because he did not win either the World Cup or Champions League, showing how strongly his individual performances weighed in the decision.

Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches and 73 goals, with eight assists, in 65 appearances for club and country. His Bayern total was 19 more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues, while he finished as the Bundesliga’s leading scorer with 36 goals and scored 14 in the Champions League. Kylian Mbappe came second and Lamine Yamal third; Kane is the fifth English winner, following Michael Owen in 2001.

## Coverage

- [BBC Sport: Kane ends England’s 25-year Ballon d’Or wait – how he bucked the trend](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqlye4jpzzxyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [BBC Sport: Ranking England's Ballon d'Or winners - how does Kane compare?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckx2qdxgzzz7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [NPR: Harry Kane becomes first Englishman in 25 years to win Ballon d'Or](https://www.npr.org/2026/10/27/nx-s1-6019097/harry-kane-alexia-putellas-ballon-dor)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.