International reaction to Kane’s Ballon d’Or: 'A style that's revolutionary in football'

Congratulations! Harry Kane was awarded the Ballon d’Or as the best player in the world on Monday evening in London. fcbayern.com provides an overview of the media reaction from Germany and around the world.

Reaction from the German media

Spiegel: “Harry Kane’s triumph is not a success for the Bundesliga, but for FC Bayern.”

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “Kane is the first Bayern player to win the award since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. And he's the first Bundesliga player since Matthias Sammer in 1996 and the first English player since Michael Owen in 2001.”

Süddeutsche Zeitung: “Kane’s crowning moment. Wow! Harry Kane wins the Ballon d’Or. The FC Bayern striker edges Mbappé, Yamal and Messi and, in his speech, shows once again why: because he never forgets the team.”

Bild: "Bayern giant wins the Ballon d'Or: KING KANE, the king of the football world!"

kicker: “Successor to Sammer found – first Bundesliga player since 1996: Kane wins the Ballon d’Or. (...) As well as his stats, Kane’s playing style also provided strong grounds for his award: the Englishman not only regularly stands out as a goalscorer, but also plays an active part in build-up play. To do this, he sometimes drops deep into his own half – a rather unusual interpretation of the striker’s role to date.”

tagesschau: “Bayern Munich star Harry Kane has been awarded the Ballon d’Or for an outstanding season. The 33-year-old England captain was honoured this evening in his home city of London. (...) With 61 goals for Bayern Munich and 12 for England – seven of which came at the World Cup – Kane had an outstanding 2025/26 campaign. What's more, he redefined the role of centre-forward at Bayern as a deep-lying playmaker in a way that's revolutionary in football."

Reaction from the international media

England

The Times: “Six miles from Brisbane Road, where he scored his first goal as a professional in England’s third tier, and eight miles from Arsenal’s Hale End Academy, from which he was turned away for being ‘chubby’, Harry Kane’s long journey to prove himself has reached its most incredible and inspiring conclusion.”

Daily Mail: “Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or triumph was a testament to a superstar who exudes quiet excellence and stays clear of headline-grabbing controversy.”

The Guardian: “Kane is a thoroughly deserving winner of football’s highest honour.”

The Telegraph: “Wow, wow, wow,” said Harry Kane as he took to the stage at the London Palladium after winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Wow, indeed.

Daily Telegraph: “Kane’s crowning triumph.”

The Sun: “YES, HE KAN. Harry Kane has probably been dreaming of this moment ever since he first kicked a football. The former Tottenham striker, who now plays for Bayern Munich, is still causing a sensation even at the age of 33.”

BBC: “Kane has ended England’s 25-year drought at the Ballon d’Or. In terms of individual performance, Kane was second to none last season.”

France

L'Equipe: “King Harry! The Bayern Munich striker had an outstanding season and went on to lead the Three Lions to third place at the World Cup.”

Le Parisien: “The crowning glory of a determined striker and a player who has reinvented himself. His qualities as a striker were long underestimated. At the age of 33, having reinvented himself at FC Bayern Munich, he has now reached the pinnacle of football.”

Le Monde: “Twenty-five years had passed since England, the home of the first-ever Ballon d’Or recipient Sir Stanley Matthews (1956), had produced a winner of this prestigious award. On Monday, Harry Kane brought this long wait to an end and succeeded Michael Owen, whose name was added to the list of winners in 2001.”

Italy

Gazzetta dello Sport: “He's a brilliant striker who is also good at build-up play and, moreover, is distinguished by his unpretentious manner off the pitch. Because, unlike others, he manages to not stand out, always remaining down-to-earth in a world full of superstars with talent, but also enormous egos. If there was ever a right time for Kane to win the Ballon d’Or, it was this one.”

Tuttosport: “Bayern Munich’s number 9 has won the 70th edition of the famous award presented by France Football – which, for once, was celebrated not in Paris but on stage in London – and so succeeds the previous winner, Ousmane Dembélé.”

Spain

AS: “Neither Lamine nor Mbappé – Kane! It was once said that he was cursed and would never win any silverware. And yet he’s done it. He’s no longer cursed.”

Marca: “Harry Kane wins the Ballon d’Or in the most nail-biting finish in history. Harry Kane. That’s the name of the day and of the year.”

Mundo Deportivo: “The wait is over: Harry Kane is the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or. The 33-year-old England striker has won the award for the first time, beating his main rivals Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal – in one of the most closely contested races in recent years.”