Harry Kane has been crowned the world's best player after winning the Ballon d'Or. The 33-year-old forward is the first English player to receive the honour since Michael Owen won it in 2001.
Kane achieved the milestone following a 2025–26 season where he scored 73 goals in 65 appearances for both England and Bayern Munich. He currently holds the record for most goals for Tottenham Hotspur with 280 goals in 435 matches.
For the national team, Kane has 125 caps and serves as England's leading goalscorer with 91 goals. The striker moved to Bayern Munich in August 2023, where he has already secured two Bundesliga titles.
Kane's path to the top included a loan to Leyton Orient in January 2011 at age 17, where he played 18 games and scored five goals. He joined Millwall a year later, scoring nine goals in 24 starts.
Tim Sherwood, who watched the striker at Millwall, recalled a scout telling Harry Redknapp that the player needed to leave the club because the atmosphere was no good for him. Sherwood noted, "I used to watch Harry a lot at Millwall and it was an intimidating atmosphere. I remember overhearing one of our scouts come and talk to Harry Redknapp - who was Spurs manager at the time - and say: 'We need to get Harry Kane out of Millwall, it's no good for him there'."
Kane debuted for Tottenham in August 2012 before spending time at Leicester City between February and May 2013, where he made five starts and scored two goals. During that period, Kane admitted he felt it was the hardest time of his career, worrying about his ability to return to Tottenham if he could not perform for Norwich or Leicester.
Danny Murphy described the striker as a born goalscorer and a super professional who has been a credit to his family through his longevity. Alan Shearer praised the player's dedication, stating, "I think the best thing for me is how humble Harry is. Footballers are like movie stars nowadays. You see them walking down the red carpet and some of them are in sunglasses when it's pitch black and eight o'clock at night. Harry is just normal, as normal as they come."
Bayern Munich faces Magdeburg in the German DFB Pokal second round on Wednesday, followed by a match against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening.
