Kane wins Ballon d'Or

Harry Kane beat Kylian Mbappé to win the Ballon d'Or by one of the smallest margins in history, according to ESPN. The England captain was crowned the best footballer in the world at the London Palladium on Monday night, as reported by talksport.com.

The closest vote

Kane earned 40 first-place votes for a total of 1,055 points, putting him just 28 points ahead of Mbappé, who garnered 23 first-place nods for a total of 1,027 points.

The award was decided by 100 international journalists, with 15 points awarded for every first-place nomination, 12 for second, ten for third, then eight, seven, five, four, three, two, and one point for the rest of the top ten.

In total, it was the fourth-closest vote in the France Football award's 70-year history, as per L'Équipe, and the closest race between first and second since Lionel Messi beat Virgil van Dijk by seven points in 2019.

Context and reaction

Kane became the first Englishman to win the iconic Golden Ball award in 25 years. Asked about suggestions he could be honoured by the royal family, Kane told reporters on Wednesday: "I wouldn't say no to it [a knighthood,] 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. It would sound good, but I'd feel weird everyone calling me Sir. " In his celebration speech, Kane said: "I'm almost speechless.

(Luckily) I have this list here. Thank you to France Football, to the Ballon d'Or for putting on this amazing event. Being here in London has made it extra special. It looked like a good omen for me tonight so thank you very much. "

Related on Apex Sports News

• Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or 2026 as Spain takes eight awards

• Harry Kane wins Ballon d'Or, ends England's 25-year wait

• Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi to win inaugural Ballon d'Or B.O.A.T. award

Sources

• ESPN

• espn.in

• talksport.com

• unn.ua

• Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)