Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or, beats Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to coveted award

Harry Kane is the first Englishman in 25 years to win the award. (AP Photo)

England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane on Wednesday became the first player in 25 years from the country to have won the Ballon d’Or. Kane finished as the top goal scorer in Europe last season, scoring a total of 73 goals for club and country. He led Bayern to a domestic double of winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, re-establishing the German giants’ dominance in the latter tournament after a drought of five years.

Spain’s Alexia Putellas ended her international teammate Aitana Bonmati’s hold on the Women’s Ballon d’Or. The Barcelona forward beat her club teammate and Polish striker Ewa Pajor and Jamaican and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw to the award. France and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Spain and Barcelona foward Lamine Yamal finished second and third respectively in the race for the men’s Ballon d’Or.

“Anything is possible with hard work, when no one else is watching, to go through the ups and downs, to learn through resilience, determination and self-belief,” an emotional Kane said. “My journey wasn’t straightforward. I wasn’t the kid who went straight to the top. I had to experience the downs,” he added. “I had to fight my way to be the very best right now. I hope that can give you inspiration as well.”

Kane scored a hat-trick in German Cup final and led Bayern to the Champions League semi-finals. At the World Cup, he scored six times to pass Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament. He also entered the top-five highest goalscorers in World Cup history overall. England lost to Argentina in the semifinals but beat Mbappé’s France for third place, their best World Cup finish in 60 years.