Kane wins Ballon d'Or in London

Harry Kane won the Ballon d'Or on Monday at the London Palladium. He is the first Englishman to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The 33-year-old forward received the honor for his performance last season.

Kane scored 73 goals for club and country in the previous campaign. He was Europe's top scorer. He set scoring records in Germany while playing for Bayern Munich. He also set a record at the World Cup.

The striker captained England to a third-place finish at the World Cup. He scored six goals in the tournament. That total passed Gary Lineker as England's all-time leading World Cup scorer. It placed Kane among the top five scorers in tournament history. England lost to Argentina in the semifinals. They beat France for third place. That was the best World Cup result for England in 60 years.

At the club level, Kane helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga and the German Cup. He scored a hat trick against Stuttgart in the cup final. Bayern also reached the Champions League semifinals.

Kane reflected on his early career struggles during his acceptance speech. He said his journey was not straightforward. He noted that he had to fight to reach the top. He told young players that anything is possible with hard work and resilience.

Kane thanked his teammates, coaches, parents, and children. He specifically thanked his wife, Kate, calling her his best friend and biggest supporter. England coach Thomas Tuchel said the team is lucky to have Kane as its leader. Tuchel added that he ran out of superlatives to describe Kane's performances.

Kane finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Rodri, and Lionel Messi in the voting. Yamal was voted best young talent for the third consecutive year. Messi has won the award a record eight times.

The ceremony took place in London for the first time. This marked the 70th anniversary of the inaugural award given to England's Stanley Matthews in 1956. Fans packed the streets near Oxford Circus. Some climbed light poles to see the athletes arrive. Kane stopped to sign autographs on his way into the theater.

Fans stayed through the event and chanted Kane's name as he left after midnight. Kane said he would keep the celebration small because of upcoming schedule commitments. He noted that his team has a cup game on Wednesday. He has an early Tuesday flight back to Munich for training.

Earlier in the evening, Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or. The 32-year-old midfielder claimed a record-equaling third award. She led her former club Barcelona to multiple trophies last season. That included the Women's Champions League. She also helped Spain win the Women's Nations League last December. Putellas ended Aitana Bonmati's three-year reign as the award holder. Bonmati was not on this year's shortlist after breaking her leg in December. Putellas joined London City Lionesses in the offseason. She called her 14 seasons at Barcelona something special.