Kane ends England's 25-year Ballon d'Or wait – how he bucked the trend

Harry Kane becomes the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001 after being crowned the world's best player at a ceremony in London. Harry Kane broke Bayern Munich's goalscoring record for a season in his third campaign at the club Harry Kane has become the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001 after being crowned the world's best player at a ceremony in London. 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.

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe finished second, while Barcelona and Spain attacker completed the top three. "I am almost speechless. Being here in London has made it extra special," said an emotional Kane. "Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I can imagine it was tough this year. "[There are] some world-class players in the room tonight. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees tonight. [It is] an impressive showing of determination and what hard work can really achieve." Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most a Bayern player