An article from Ballon d'Or organisers named Harry Kane the winner on Monday, and the premature reveal wasn't limited to the England captain.
For a moment on Monday, Harry Kane's long-chased dream looked like reality. Ballon d'Or organisers put out an article declaring the England captain the winner of football's most coveted individual prize.
The celebration was short-lived. The announcement was premature, and the piece went out before any official reveal of the winner. Kane's name was not the only one caught up in the mix-up, which turned a routine awards-season build-up into a very public embarrassment.
For Kane, the episode is a cruel tease. He has been among the most prolific forwards of his generation, and the Ballon d'Or remains the one big individual honour that has eluded him. Seeing his name attached to the trophy, even by mistake, will have stirred plenty of emotion among England fans.
The bigger question now is how such a slip happened with one of the sport's most closely guarded honours. Expect organisers to face pointed questions, and expect supporters of every contender to keep waiting for the real announcement.
