Harry Kane becomes first English Ballon d’Or winner since 2001 — BBC Sport

In London, United Kingdom, Bayern Munich striker and England captain Harry Kane received the Ballon d’Or, the award for the world’s best footballer. The 33-year-old forward became the first English player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001, BBC Sport reports.

Kane became the fifth representative of England to win the award. It was previously received by Stanley Matthews in 1956, Bobby Charlton in 1966, and Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979. The winners from the United Kingdom also include Scotland’s Denis Law and Northern Ireland’s George Best.

A record-breaking season at Bayern

Last season, Kane scored 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern in all club competitions, a record for a Munich club player in a single season. Including matches for England, he recorded 73 goals and eight assists in 65 games.

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In the Bundesliga, the striker scored 36 goals, finishing 17 goals ahead of his nearest pursuer. In the Champions League, he registered 14 goals, although Bayern ended their campaign at the semi-final stage. In the German Cup, Kane scored 10 times, including a hat-trick in the final against Stuttgart, and also scored in the German Super Cup.

An award without a Champions League or World Cup victory

Over the season, Bayern with Kane won the German domestic double, but the team did not win the Champions League, while the England national team lost in the World Cup semi-finals. According to BBC Sport, this is only the fifth case in the past 20 years in which the Ballon d’Or was awarded to a footballer who did not win either the World Cup, the Champions League, the European Championship or the Copa América during the relevant period.

Kane also became the first Bayern player to receive the Ballon d’Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. His previous best result in the award voting was 10th place.