Harry Kane wins the Ballon d'Or in London, the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001; Alexia Putellas takes her third

Harry Kane has won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The 33-year-old Bayern Munich and England striker finished ahead of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal at the London Palladium on Monday night.

It was the first time the ceremony has been held outside France. Organisers chose London to mark 70 years since the first winner, England’s Stanley Matthews, in 1956. Kane is the fifth Englishman to win it, after Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.

Heavy traffic and crowds around the theatre held up guests arriving for the red carpet, so the ceremony started late. It was due to begin at 20:00 GMT and was first pushed back to 20:30 GMT. TNT Sports and The Independent reported that it finally got under way at about 20:45 GMT.

‘It’s been too long’

Kane scored 73 goals for club and country last season, more than anyone else in Europe, AP reported. He led Bayern to the Bundesliga and German Cup double. At the World Cup he scored six goals as England finished third.

“Anything is possible with hard work, when no one else is watching, to go through the ups and downs, to learn through resilience, determination and self-belief,” Kane said, in a message to young players. “My journey wasn’t straightforward. I wasn’t the kid who went straight to the top.”

“It’s massive for England, for our country. [The ceremony] being here in London was a good omen for me,” he said. “It’s been too long… To put us back on the map, to put us here with this trophy I’m extremely proud. Playing for England is my biggest honour.”

In his speech he also thanked his family, telling his children: “My kids back home watching – it is past your bedtime! You’re the reason I do this.”

England head coach Thomas Tuchel said: “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.”

Early announcement

Hours before the ceremony, Kane was announced as the winner too early, but he was not the only one. Articles declaring Kane, Mbappé and Yamal the winner each appeared on the Ballon d’Or website about two and a half hours before the ceremony was due to start, ESPN reported. All three were later taken down.

The organisers said in a statement to the BBC that “some profiles of nominees prepared by BallonDor.com were inadvertently published online” and “should in no way be considered as an indication of the final results or rankings”.

Putellas wins her third

Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time, after her wins in 2021 and 2022. That equals the record, and it ended Spain teammate Aitana Bonmatí’s three-year run as winner. Putellas led Barcelona to the Women’s Champions League last season and then joined London City Lionesses in the summer. Ewa Pajor finished second and Khadija Shaw third.

Men’s top 10

1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
2. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, France)
3. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
4. Rodri (Spain)
5. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina)
6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia)
7. Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
8. Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
9. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)
10. Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain, Spain)

Other award winners

• Kopa Trophy (young players): Lamine Yamal and Vicky López. AP says it is Yamal’s third win in a row.
• Yashin Trophy (goalkeepers): Unai Simón and Cata Coll
• Gerd Müller Trophy (strikers): Harry Kane and Charlyn Corral
• Sócrates Award: Bukayo Saka
• Clubs of the year: Paris Saint-Germain (men) and Barcelona (women)
• Coaches of the year: Luis de la Fuente (men) and Pere Romeu (women)