Harry Kane praised as ‘ideal professional’ as Lamine Yamal and Cristiano Ronaldo face criticism

Harry Kane has been presented as the model professional after winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or, while Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and Cristiano Ronaldo were criticised in a stark comparison by Daily Mail journalist Oliver Holt.

Kane secured the award at a ceremony in London on Monday. Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe finished second, with Yamal third in the voting.

Holt used the result to contrast Kane’s low-key approach to fame with the way Yamal has handled the attention surrounding him. His comments also referred to the controversy surrounding Yamal’s 18th birthday celebration.

Before the Ballon d’Or vote, Yamal said: “I genuinely believe that the two of us are the best in the world, and that I deserved it this year because I won trophies.” He was referring to himself and the 27-year-old Mbappe, and did not include Kane in his assessment.

According to Germany’s Bild, Holt argued that the remark reflected a worrying development in modern football: a celebrity culture in which players increasingly place themselves at the centre of public attention.

Holt wrote: “On Monday evening, we saw that football is capable of giving its highest awards to men like Kane; men who have not sought the limelight, created controversy or abused their fame, and who have not, as Yamal is alleged to have done, employed people of short stature to decorate their 18th birthday party, but instead have devoted themselves to a career of quiet excellence.”

The reference was to the party Yamal held for his 18th birthday. The player was alleged to have invited people of short stature to attend and paid them for their presence.

The Spanish Association of People with Dwarfism (ASDD) said at the time that it intended to take legal action.

Holt also directed criticism at Ronaldo, using him as another contrast with Kane. He described Kane as “not a narcissistic extrovert like Ronaldo”, but as “reserved and humble”, and called the England captain “the ideal professional”.

Kane’s Ballon d’Or victory came despite Yamal finishing on the podium. The Barcelona player did leave the ceremony with an individual award, however, after winning the Kopa Trophy for a third time as the best young player of the season.