Kane Wins Ballon d'Or, First Englishman Since Owen

Harry Kane has won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first English player to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich striker, 33, was named the world's best player at a ceremony in London.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe finished second and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal third. Yamal won the World Cup with Spain and had been one of the favourites.

"I had to go through many ups and downs, especially early in my career," Kane told Dazn. "I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now." England manager Thomas Tuchel said he was "delighted", and Prince William called Kane a "brilliant captain" and "remarkable player".

Record season at Bayern

Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most any Bayern player has managed in a single campaign. With England included, his tally was 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches. Only Lionel Messi, with 82 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12, has scored more in a season among players from Europe's top leagues.

He finished as Bundesliga top scorer with 36 goals, 17 more than anyone else, and added 14 in the Champions League. In the German Cup he scored 10, including a hat-trick in the 3-0 final win over Stuttgart.

The award came without a World Cup or Champions League title. England and Bayern both lost their semi-finals, and Kane's trophies last season were the German league and cup double. It is only the fifth time in 20 years that the winner had not won the World Cup, the Champions League or a European Championship or Copa America that year. He joins Messi, who did it three times, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kane is the first Bayern player to win since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. He is the fifth Englishman to win, joining Owen, Matthews (1956), Charlton (1966) and Keegan (1978 and 1979). The Wembley arches were lit gold on Monday night.

Source: BBC Sport