Harry Kane won the Ballon d'Or on Monday. Football365 said he beat Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe to the award, a result that drew contrasting views from Dean Ashton and Martin Keown.
Kane reacts on stage
Reacting to his Ballon d’Or win on Monday, Kane said on stage: "Not many people would have thought it, maybe even myself. I had to go through many ups and downs, especially early in my career. I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar, like some of the guys now. I had to bide my time. I had to work hard."
Kane also said: "There were a lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it. I had to show self-belief and determination and I think that grounded me."
He added: "I said, ‘no matter what I achieve, how many goals I score, winning the Ballon d’Or, it’s always about getting better’, and this is a showcase of that. To be named the best player in the world is just incredible, and, yeah, almost loss of words."
Football365's figures
Football365 said Kane became the first Englishman to win a Ballon d'Or for 25 years.
Football365 said Kane joined Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Michael Owen (2001) as Ballon d'Or winners.
Football365 said Kane has scored 156 goals in 159 matches in all competitions since joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham in the summer of 2023.
Ashton questioned the choice
Speaking ahead of the Ballon d’Or announcement, former Premier League striker Dean Ashton said on talkSPORT: "Look, obviously as a fellow Englishman, to see Harry Kane win it would be incredibly special."
He said: "I think he’s the best all-round candidate, the best all-round centre forward, his numbers are staggering."
But Ashton added: "But he’s not a Ballon d’Or winner in my opinion."
When asked to explain, Ashton said: "Everyone can have their own opinion on what a Ballon d’Or winner should be. Whether it’s achievements, winning the World Cup with their country, whatever criteria."
He added: "But for me, the Ballon d’Or winner should be someone that does things that pretty much no one else can do, that even fellow professionals gasp at what they can do."
Ashton said: "Harry Kane is a fantastic player and does some wonderful things, but I look at him and think, there’s nothing he does that I think wow, I couldn’t do that or other players couldn’t."
He added: "I watch Yamal and I’m honestly wowed by some of the things."
Keown backed Kane
Arsenal legend Martin Keown said: "Harry is eye-catching too. Some of the stuff that he’s playing now, his finishing…"
Keown said: "And going to a foreign country, 102 goals in 101 (Bundesliga) appearances for Bayern, nine consecutive goals in the Champions League."
He added: "He does not stop scoring and he’s so significant as an Englishman abroad to do that."
Keown said: "I 100 per cent think he should win it…I can’t see a more worthy winner of it this year."