Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or triumph was vindication for a superstar brimming with quiet excellence who swerves flashy controversy, writes OLIVER HOLT - and a win for English football

It is July 10 2024, a couple of hours after goals from Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins have taken England past the Netherlands in Dortmund and into the final of Euro 2024. In the Dorint Hotel, the other side of a dual carriageway from the Westfalenstadion, a group of fans, some in England shirts, are sitting in the lobby bar.They see a couple of us sitting by ourselves at another table and invite us over. It is Kane’s wife, Katie Goodland, and her family, her sister, her parents. They talk about Kane’s life in Munich and their lives in Essex, their favourite pubs, favourite places to eat. They talk a little about some of the criticism Kane is attracting but they hold no bitterness. They are lovely people. It is two hours well spent.I thought of them when I got around to seeing Dear England, the play written by James Graham, which won rave reviews for its portrayal of Gareth Southgate as football’s answer to Jesus Christ but whose characterisation of Kane as a dolt and a bore was so crass and crudely drawn that it spoilt the play.I thought of them when I saw Kane criticised for making the move from Spurs to Bayern Munich and then failing to win the Bundesliga in his first season. I thought of them when people laughed that he would never win a trophy.I thought of them a few weeks ago when I read that Lamine Yamal had dismissed Kane’s claims to winning the Ballon d’Or, the sport’s most prestigious individual honour, and had fed into the star culture that pervades the game by saying the battle for it should be between him and Kylian Mbappe.‘I honestly believe there are two of us who are the best in the world, and this year I’d deserve it because of what I’ve won,’ Yamal said in an interview clip shared by Spanish streaming platform Movistar. As far as I’m concerned, Mbappe and I are the two best in the world. It’s clear to me, and everyone who watches the matches knows it.’ Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or triumph is a success story for football's humble superstars The Bayern Munich and England star is a model professional as well as a superb goal-scorer Kane thanked his wife Kate, describing her as his 'best friend' and 'my biggest supporter'But most of all, I thought of them late on Monday night when I sat in the audience at the London Palladium in the heart of London’s West End and watched Kane walk up to the stage to take that prize ahead of both Yamal and Mbappe and become the first Englishman for 25 years to be named the best footballer in the world.Because that moment was Kane’s vindication. It was the moment that justified the way he has conducted himself throughout a career that started with him scrapping his way through loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City before he nailed down a place in the Spurs first team.‘My journey has not been a straightforward one,’ Kane said on that stage in front of an audience of yelling kids and raucous fans. 'For any young boy wanting to achieve their dreams, and hoping to learn through resilience, determination and self-belief, I hope this can give you inspiration.'It was a pitch-perfect speech that combined the emotion that spilled out when he thanked his parents and his wife and the care and the loyalty that came with a heartfelt thank you to Tottenham for ‘believing in me and my dreams.’It was the moment that told him that he had been right to dedicate himself to the game completely and that all the years of being a fine role model to young players in the sport and to fans who idolised something they saw in him had been worth it.It was the moment that said that football is capable of handing the highest honours to men like him, who have not sought the limelight or courted controversy or abused their fame or hired performers with dwarfism to decorate your 18th birthday party, as Yamal is alleged to have done, but have dedicated themselves to a career of quiet excellence.Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise. 🏆— Harry Kane (@HKane) October 26, 2026 He received the award from Brazil icon Ronaldo after beating Lamine Yamal and Kylian MbappeKane, pictured embracing Women's Ballon d'Or winnger Alexia Putellas, justified the way he has conducted himself throughout his career by winning football's top individual prizeAnd it was the moment that told him that scoring a remarkable 61 goals for Bayern in a single season, leading England to the brink of a World Cup final and extending his astonishing goalscoring record with his country so that he now boasts 91 goals in 125 caps counts for what it should.It is not a win for the Premier League because Kane plies his trade in the Bundesliga now but it is a win for English players. It asks more questions about Thomas Tuchel’s attempt to pin the blame on England’s World Cup exit on the poor technique of English players. In Kane and Jude Bellingham, England have players with Rolls-Royce technique.And it is a win for English football because Kane is the ambassador for our game in the way Sir Bobby Charlton was the ambassador for our game. He is a player admired for more than just his football. He is admired for what he stands for on and off the pitch. He is a player who plays the game with respect and dignity as well as sublime skill.‘The Ballon d’Or,’ its rules suggest, ‘is awarded based on three criteria, in order of importance: 1. Individual performances, decisive and impressive character. 2. Collective performances and titles won. 3. Class and fair play.’ Those criteria are rich justification for Kane’s win.The truth is that for everything he has achieved, Kane has been underrated for much of his career. Because the truth is also that he is, alongside Jimmy Greaves, the greatest goalscorer England has ever produced but also a player who proves again and again that he is far more than a goalscorer.Kane is the complete centre forward, a man who scores and scores and scores for Bayern, but whose passing ability and brilliant technique makes him stand out amid his competitors. He and Jude Bellingham drove England on and on at the World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the US last summer.And now he is in rare company. He is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001. Only four of his compatriots, Sir Stanley Matthews(1956), Sir Bobby Charlton(1966), Kevin Keegan(1978 and 1979), and Owen, have been awarded the honour. Denis Law(1964) and George Best(1968), are the only other British players to have won.Kane was warned when he left Spurs that the move would cost him his shot at immortality because it would end his chances of overhauling Alan Shearer’s mark of 260 goals that makes him the leading scorer in Premier League history. The striker’s move to Bayern Munich from Tottenham in 2023 has paid off handsomelyKane is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen (right) in 2001Those warnings may have been right but think of what Kane has gained. Think of how much he has been rewarded for that move. Maybe the chance of the league record has gone but Kane’s name is now written in football history alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Zinedine Zidane.Kane’s victory is a victory for a player who has done things the right way, a player who is not a raging narcissist like Ronaldo, a player who is understated and unassuming, a player who is the ultimate professional, who has done everything to maximise his talents and devote himself to the game and who is now reaping the rewards.It is a victory for Spurs, it is a victory for English football, which created and nurtured him. And it is a victory for his family, whose pride in their husband, son, father and brother is something we can all share.