Kane Ends 25-Year English Wait With Ballon d'Or Crown

Harry Kane has been crowned the Ballon d'Or winner, the first Englishman to claim football's most prestigious individual prize in 25 years. The last player from England to lift the trophy was Michael Owen, who won it in 2001, so Kane's victory ends a long stretch in which no English player could call himself the best in the world on that stage.

The night also belonged to Putellas, who took the women's Ballon d'Or. Her success sits alongside Kane's as the ceremony's two headline individual honours, and together they make for a split verdict on the men's and women's game.

For England, the result carries weight beyond one player's trophy cabinet. The Ballon d'Or is judged on a full season of performances, and an English winner is rare enough that the award tends to be remembered as a moment rather than a routine outcome. Kane's name now joins a short list of Englishmen to have been honoured in this way, and fans will be watching closely to see whether it inspires a new wave of players to aim for the same goal.