Harry Kane is officially the world's best player, the first Englishman to claim the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen did it back in 2001.
Harry Kane has put his name in the history books. The England captain was crowned the best player on the planet at a ceremony in London, becoming the first English winner of the Ballon d'Or in a quarter of a century.
The last Englishman to hold the trophy was Michael Owen in 2001. Since then, the award has largely belonged to a small group of global superstars, and English football has watched from the sidelines. Kane's win ends that long drought and puts England back on the Ballon d'Or map.
It also lands with extra weight because the ceremony took place on home soil. Kane collected the sport's most prestigious individual honour in front of a London crowd, a fitting stage for a striker who has long carried the hopes of English football.
The result also shows that the race for the Ballon d'Or can still be won by a centre-forward whose game is built on consistency and goals. After 25 years of waiting, England finally has a name to put next to Owen's on the list of winners.
