Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or and tells young footballers: “Anything is possible”

Harry Kane has said winning the Ballon d'Or should show aspiring footballers that 'anything is possible'.

Kane was named winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Monday night, becoming England's first winner of the award in 25 years. The 33-year-old beat Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal in the vote to earn football's biggest individual honour.

Kane was recognised after scoring 73 goals for club and country in 2025/26, a return that helped Bayern Munich to a German treble, and England to third place at the 2026 World Cup.

After receiving his award on stage, an 'almost speechless' Kane was keen to point out the journey he had taken to get there.

Kane struggled during his early seasons as a senior player, embarking on a number of mixed lower-league loan spells before making his breakthrough at Tottenham in 2014/15.

The forward has since become Tottenham and England's all-time record goalscorer, before scoring 156 goals in 159 games since moving to Bayern Munich in 2023.

Harry Kane beats Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to win Ballon d’Or after record-breaking season

"Wow, I'm almost speechless," Kane said on stage. "First of all, thanks again to France Football and the Ballon d'Or for this amazing event. Being in London, it is extra special; it felt like a good omen. Thank you to everyone for voting for me. I can imagine it was very tough. Thank you to everyone that voted for me. It's just the journey. For any young boy or girl who wants to achieve their dream, anything is possible. I hope my journey, it wasn't straightforward, I didn't go straight to the top, I had to experience a lot of loan moves and fight my way to get to where I am now. I hope that can give you inspiration, and thank you very much.