Harry Kane is fifth English player to win Ballon d'Or after 25 years

Harry Kane has become the fifth English player to win the Ballon d'Or, football's most prestigious individual accolade, according to BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports. Kane is the first Englishman to claim the award in 25 years, following a standout season playing for Bayern Munich.

Before Kane, the last English winner was Michael Owen in 2001, who ended a 22-year gap since Kevin Keegan's back-to-back wins. Other English winners include Bobby Charlton in 1966 and Stanley Matthews, who won the inaugural prize in 1956 when it was known as the European Footballer of the Year award.

The award has evolved significantly over time. Initially, it was only open to European players until 1995 and expanded in 2007 to include players from all clubs worldwide. Despite these changes, the achievements of earlier English winners remain highly regarded.

Several notable English players have finished as runners-up, including Billy Wright, Bobby Moore, Gary Lineker, David Beckham, and Frank Lampard. More recently, Lucy Bronze in 2019 and Beth Mead in 2022 also finished second, highlighting the continued presence of English talent in the award's history.