Kane ends England’s 25-year wait for Ballon d’Or

Harry Kane became the first Englishman in a quarter of a century to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday night, beating Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe to claim his crown as the best footballer on the planet.

The Bayern Munich striker, 33, scored 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season to lead Bayern to a domestic double and England to a third-place finish at the World Cup with six goals.

He succeeds Michael Owen, the last English winner in 2001.

“I love to represent my country and to bring this trophy back to them,” Kane said. “What a crazy night.”

He added that his 2023 move to Bayern, seen by some as a risk, had pushed him to “another level.”

The first ceremony held on English soil started almost an hour late due to London traffic.

In the women’s award, Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d’Or after leading Barcelona to the Champions League before joining London City Lionesses.

She succeeds Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati, who missed much of last season with a leg break.

Yamal, 19, won young player of the year for a third straight time but finished third for the main prize, while Mbappe was second after being the top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup.

The Socrates award, which honours humanitarian work and social initiatives connected to football was given to Arsenal star Bukayo Saka.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was awarded men’s coach of the year while PSG were named men’s club of the year.