Harry Kane wins the Ballon d'Or, ending England's 25-year wait

It had been 25 years since an Englishman last lifted the Ballon d'Or. From Michael Owen in 2001 until this Monday in London, nobody had managed it. The man who finally ended that long wait was Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich forward, who beat out the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to claim the most important individual prize in world soccer.

Oddly enough, before talking about goals or titles, Kane spent much of his speech looking back, to age 11, when he first joined the youth setup at Tottenham Hotspur. That's where it all began, and he made that clear up on stage.

I want to thank Tottenham Hotspur. I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without Tottenham. I was there from the age of 11. With all the guidance, the coaches, they let me live out my dream. So without all those moments together, all the ups and downs along that journey, I wouldn't have reached this moment. I just want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur.Harry Kane

In that look back, he had words for several coaches who shaped his development years: he mentioned Chris Ramsey, Tim Sherwood and Ryan Mason, whom he described as one of his best friends. Nothing generic about it: you could tell each name carried its own story.

Captain, in his words too

Kane arrives at this award having captained England to a third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup, and that came through in his speech as well. He spoke of a "special" year with his national team, though he was honest: it wasn't all perfect.

To all my England teammates. We had a special year. It wasn't the perfect year, but we had a lot of good moments. We built a great bond together, a lot of unity, the way we played, and it's a real honor to play for and to be your captain. This award is for all of us, without a doubt.Harry Kane

He also set aside a moment for Thomas Tuchel, his national team manager, thanking him for "the way he demands standards" and crediting the coaching staff's leadership. Tuchel's response came quickly, with a public message congratulating his captain on becoming just the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or.

Congratulations, Harry, on a well deserved Ballon d'Or. I ran out of superlatives a while ago to describe your performances, but I'm glad world soccer is now formally recognizing it. The fact that you're the first Englishman to win this huge honor in 25 years makes it even more special, and we're lucky to have you as our leader.Thomas Tuchel

Kane didn't forget Bayern either, nor the other coaches who stood by him during his time in Germany, and he even had a kind word for manager Vincent Kompany, who is recovering from a collapse he suffered last week.

The closing of the speech was the most personal part. He spoke of his wife, Kate, as his "best friend," admitting she wanted this award even more than he did. And he mentioned his four children, Ivy, Vivienne, Louis and Henry, who were waiting for him at home, probably well past bedtime by then, to celebrate together this Ballon d'Or that, in his own words, is a team effort.

As a symbolic gesture, Wembley stadium lit its arches in gold to mark Kane's achievement, a visible tribute for all of England on a night English soccer had been waiting a quarter century for.