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And the love was mutual between Harry Kane and his former club, with the England captain finding a moment to thank Spurs in his speech:

"Thank you to Tottenham Hotspur as well," Kane said.

"I wouldn't be where I am today without Tottenham. All the guidance, all the coaches you have allowed me to live my dream. For all those moments, all the ups and downs along the way has led me to this moment here today.

"To all the fans, Bayern, England fans, Spurs fans and all my fans around the world. I love you in this room tonight.

"The support you give me - I appreciate it all. I remember being a fan not long ago and what it means to play football. It was a dream of mine.

"Any time I can give back to you guys, it is an honour and privilege to do so."

Harry Kane, speaking to Sky Sports this morning following his historic Ballon d'Or win on Monday evening: "It sounds crazy to be honest but it sounds pretty good. It was a special night. An incredible feeling. I'm still just trying to take it all in really. It feels like a dream.

"The emotion [when his name got called] was relief, joy, happiness, excitement. There was so much waiting to find out the winner and in at the moment it was quite nerve-wracking so to have that kind of release and to be able to share it with everyone there in that theatre was special.

"I like to do the work behind the scenes. Sometimes when nobody is watching, it's the best time to improve and let everything else just explode on the pitch. There is no better way to prove that than winning this award."

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Leyton Orient

Harry Kane scored his first senior goal for Leyton Orient in the 2010-2011 League One season.

It was the first of four loan moves from Tottenham for the 33-year-old.

"Every Ballon d'Or winner remembers their first senior goal. Congrats on an incredible achievement, Harry Kane," Leyton Orient posted.

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Norwich City

Harry Kane made three Premier League appearances for Norwich City during a six-month loan spell in 2012.

The club posted on X: "Thinking about those six months in Norfolk. The only #BallonDor winner to call East Anglia home. Well deserved, Harry Kane."

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Thierry Henry
Former France forward on DAZN

I would always back my fellow Frenchmen but I have to say something about Harry Kane. I have seen him since the beginning. He had to suffer really hard to achieve what he has achieved. A worthy winner, well done.

England

England boss Thomas Tuchel praised Harry Kane after his win: "I ran out of superlatives to describe your performances a long time ago, but I'm delighted to see that you have now been formally recognised by the football world.

"To become the first Englishman to win this huge honour in 25 years makes it extra special and we are lucky to have you as our leader.

"I know you will enjoy this moment with your loved ones and then get back to doing what you do best - scoring goals and winning football matches."

Harry Kane became the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001.

The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker is the fifth Englishman to win in total, with Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966) and Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) the others.

Denis Law of Scotland (1964) and Northern Ireland's George Best (1968) are the other winners from the United Kingdom.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're basing it on purely statistics alone in 2025-26, there really was no arguing Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or win.

The Bayern Munich forward scored 61 goals in 51 appearances, helping the German giants to their 35th Bundesliga title along with the German Cup.

It was the most a Bayern player has ever scored in a campaign.

His nearest competitor in terms of goals scored was Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, who netted 42 goals in 2025-26 for the La Liga side.

In the 21st century, only two players have scored 61 or more goals in Europe’s top five divisions. As well as Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo hit 61 goals in the 2014-15 campaign, while Lionel Messi holds the record with a total of 73 goals in the 2011-12 season.

Kane scored 73 goals for club and country last season.

There is lots for you to be having your say on this morning with regard to Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or win but one of the big questions we want answering is, does this win cement him as England's greatest ever player?

The Bayern Munich forward has already taken his spot atop of the all-time scoring charts for the Three Lions and now with a Ballon d'Or to boot, can you really argue otherwise?

Does he still need to win a trophy with England to make his way into that conversation?

Let us know your thoughts on that and anything else surrounding last night's Ballon d'Or by clicking that 'Get Involved' button.

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Some more words from Harry Kane, who spoke to DAZN after collecting his trophy: "Not many people would have thought it, and maybe even I wouldn't have thought I'd be this far.

"I had to go through many ups and downs, especially early in my career. I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now.

"I had to bide my time and work hard, a lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it, I had to show self-belief, determination.

"I think that grounded me even when I did make it at the highest level to keep improving and keep getting better."

Image source, Getty Images

Men's Ballon d'Or winner - Harry Kane

Women's Ballon d'Or winner - Alexia Putellas

Men's striker of the year - Harry Kane

Women's striker of the year - Charlyn Corral

Men's club of the year - Paris St-Germain

Women's club of the year - Barcelona

Socrates Award winner - Bukayo Saka

Men's goalkeeper of the year - Unai Simon

Women's goalkeeper of the year - Cata Coll

Men's coach of the year - Luis de la Fuente

Women's coach of the year - Pere Romeu

Women's young talent of the year winner - Vicky Lopez

Men's young talent of the year winner - Lamine Yamal

Image source, Getty Images

Harry Kane's first words after being named the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or winner:

"Wow, wow, wow!

"I am almost speechless. Being here in London has made it extra special.

"Made it a good omen for me tonight. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I can imagine it was tough this year.

"Some world-class players in the room tonight. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees tonight."

Prince William praised Harry Kane for being a "brilliant captain and remarkable player".

He said: "Huge congratulations to Harry Kane on winning the Ballon d'Or! What a fantastic achievement and so deserved.

"A brilliant captain, a remarkable player and someone who has given football fans across the world so many unforgettable moments."

Image source, Getty Images

So, England captain Harry Kane saw off both Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal for the award on Monday evening but who else was in contention?

Here's how the top 10 finished up, and what a top 10 it was.

1: Harry Kane

2: Kylian Mbappe

3: Lamine Yamal

4: Rodri

5: Lionel Messi

6: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

7: Ousmane Dembele

8: Erling Haaland

9: Michael Olise

10: Fabian Ruiz