Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or as Bayern Munich celebrate landmark success

Harry Kane said he was still struggling to take in the significance of winning the Ballon d’Or after reaching the highest point of his career in a remarkable night in London.

The Bayern Munich striker, 33, received the award in his home city, giving both the German club and the Bundesliga a major boost with a success that had been 45 years in the making.

Hours after the ceremony, Kane posed with the trophy outside the London Palladium as cameras flashed and supporters celebrated. The venue is only a few miles from Walthamstow, where he began his football journey.

“It really does feel like a dream, and I’m still trying to process everything that happened,” Kane told Sky Sport Germany on the morning after the ceremony.

The England international was widely praised following his victory. Prince William and Kate sent a message describing him as “an exceptional player”, while the Daily Mail portrayed the award as recognition for a footballer who had continually worked to improve his ability and had finally been rewarded for those efforts.

Golden celebrations spread from London to Munich

The response to Kane’s achievement extended beyond England. Allianz Arena in Munich was lit in gold in honour of Bayern Munich’s star, while the Empire State Building in New York was illuminated in the same colour.

Kane continued the celebrations with friends and family at a London nightclub after the ceremony. He then returned to Munich on Tuesday to resume his responsibilities with Bayern Munich.

His first opportunity to receive a public welcome from Bayern supporters will come against Magdeburg in the German Cup on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. The club also plans to celebrate his achievement before Saturday’s German Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund.

Those occasions will carry particular significance for Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga as Kane’s individual award is presented to supporters at home.

Ballon d’Or returns to Bayern after 45 years

Kane’s triumph came 45 years after Karl-Heinz Rummenigge became the previous Bayern Munich player to win the Ballon d’Or. His success also arrived in a year in which the World Cup is being held, despite Bayern Munich not winning the UEFA Champions League.

The result underlined the club’s ability to produce a player capable of competing for football’s most prestigious individual honour, even without European success in the season.

Rummenigge said Kane’s victory demonstrated that the route to the Ballon d’Or still runs through Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga. Sporting director Max Eberl described the club as “a platform for world-class performers”.

For Kane, the award represents the culmination of a career that has taken him from Walthamstow to the summit of the game, with the celebrations now continuing in Munich ahead of his next appearances for Bayern.