Harry Kane wins the Ballon d'Or

The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony was held at the Palladium Theatre in London, England. It was the first time the ceremony took place outside Paris, and it was held in memory of Stanley Matthews, who won the award in 1956. Thierry Henry and Kate Scott hosted the event. Heavy traffic in the city centre caused the ceremony to start 45 minutes late.

In the voting, Real Madrid's French star Kylian Mbappe finished second, and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal came third. In the women's category, Spanish star Alexia Putellas won the award for the third time, after 2021 and 2022. Putellas had won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona last season and transferred to London City Lionesses in the summer.

Harry Kane, 33, scored 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich last season, setting a club record for the most goals in a single season. With 73 goals for the national team, Kane scored six goals at the World Cup held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, playing a key role in England's third-place finish. With this award, Kane became the fifth Englishman to win the trophy, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen. He also became the first Bayern Munich player to win it since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who won it consecutively in 1980 and 1981.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kane said that winning the award in London was especially meaningful to him, and he thanked the voters. He also wished a speedy recovery to Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany, who was taken to hospital after collapsing at the club's facilities last week. England head coach Thomas Tuchel congratulated Kane and said it was special that he became the first Englishman to win the award in 25 years.