Harry Kane admits knighthood would feel ‘weird’ after Ballon d’Or triumph

Fresh from claiming the Ballon d’Or following a stellar year for club and country, England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has admitted that while he would be "massively proud" to receive a knighthood, it would feel "weird" to have everyone calling him Sir.

The forward, who collected the honour on Monday night, has been given odds of 3-1 by bookmaker William Hill to be knighted by 2030.

Discussing the prospect of a knighthood after Bayern’s DFB-Pokal victory against Magdeburg, Kane told reporters: "I wouldn’t say no to it, that’s for sure.

"If it happens it’ll be incredible, and something I’ll be massively proud of. But I don’t want to get too carried away."

When asked how he would feel about being Sir Harry Kane, he responded: "It would sound good, but I’d feel weird everyone calling me Sir. So we’ll just keep it as Harry for now."

A Downing Street spokeswoman passed on Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s congratulations to Kane on Tuesday. When asked about a potential knighthood, she stated: "I think everyone would agree, Harry Kane has given an enormous amount to English football, and this is a very special moment for him and the country, but, as ever, I’m not going to pre-empt the honours process."

Kane's remarkable 73-goal tally across last season earned him the accolade from French publication France Football, making him the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.

He joins Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen as the only English winners of the prestigious trophy.

Kane watched from the bench on Wednesday night as his Bayern team-mates secured a 6-1 victory in their cup clash.

Reflecting on the whirlwind experience, he said: "So much has happened in 48 hours. It was nice to kind of be back a bit in normality, seeing the fans, getting the reception before the game.

"It’s been a whirlwind of a 48 hours, and it’s nice to just be here and feel at home."