Harry Kane became England’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 25 years in his native London on Monday, beating stiff competition from Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.
Alexia Putellas claimed the women’s prize for a third time, extending Spain’s dominance of the award, thanks to her role in leading Barcelona to last season’s Champions League before moving to London City Lionesses.
The first-ever Ballon d’Or ceremony on English soil got off to an inauspicious start as the London traffic caused a delay of nearly an hour, with many of the star names arriving late.
But there was a happy ending for the hometown hero as Kane collected the crowning glory of his career to date.
The 33-year-old Bayern Munich forward struck a remarkable 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season, propelling the German giants to a league and cup double.
He also scored six times as England finished third at the World Cup.
