Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or victory on Monday night ended a 25-year wait for an English winner and a much longer one for the Bundesliga. The Bayern Munich striker is the first English player to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001, and the first Bundesliga player since Matthias Sammer in 1996.
Sammer had captained Borussia Dortmund to two successive Bundesliga titles before winning the Ballon d’Or. Kane’s success has therefore been greeted in Germany as more than an individual honour. Lothar Matthäus, the most capped German player of all time and the 1991 Ballon d’Or winner, said: “Just as Bayern and the Bundesliga benefit from Kane, the reverse is also true.” He added that he did not think Kane would have won the award at any other club he could have joined, arguing that the striker developed further and matured at Bayern, where he won his first title and fulfilled a lifelong dream.
After Kane was announced as the winner, large Bundesliga images were projected on to landmarks across London, including The Strand and Tate Modern, some carrying the words “England Hero. Bundesliga Legend”. Bundesliga chief executive Marc Lenz called the win “a tremendous recognition of Harry Kane’s extraordinary performances” and “a great success for Bayern and the Bundesliga”, describing Kane as a role model and an outstanding ambassador for the league.
Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said a player from a German club winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time in 30 years was “a strong signal for the Bundesliga”. German journalist Raphael Honigstein told BBC Radio 5 live that Kane had made “a huge difference”, not only through his goals but through the focus he has brought to Bayern, giving the club a player with international recognition after four-and-a-half decades. Bild’s editor-in-chief for sport, Henning Feindt, wrote that Kane is “the biggest star the league could wish for” and that his win sends a message to the world’s superstars that it is possible in the Bundesliga too.
Kane celebrated the award by partying into the early hours in London with family and friends, and Bayern are planning to mark his triumph when he returns to Munich. The club confirmed he will receive “a special welcome” before Wednesday’s DFB Cup match against Magdeburg at the Allianz Arena, and will be honoured at Saturday’s Bundesliga top-of-the-table match against Borussia Dortmund. Club president Herbert Hainer said: “This is a proud day for FC Bayern. Harry Kane can do it all – and he scores goals, goals and more goals.” Hainer added that Kane now joins a line with Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
The result has also prompted debate in Spain over how much weight international success should carry in the voting. Some Spanish journalists and commentators argued that winning the World Cup should count for more, particularly when players have also shown outstanding individual form, and sections of the Spanish press argued that Lamine Yamal and other members of Spain’s national team had equally compelling claims. The discussion drew comparisons with 2010, when Lionel Messi won ahead of Spain’s World Cup-winning midfielders Andrés Iniesta and Xavi.
El País wrote that “what would have been a historic double escaped: in London, goals prevailed over titles”, and highlighted that eight awards went to Spanish winners. José Félix Díaz, editor-in-chief of AS and Spain’s sole journalist voter, said he had expected either Yamal or Kylian Mbappé to win; an AS headline said Spain’s only voter believes Kane does not deserve the Ballon d’Or. Former Real Madrid midfielder Guti argued that Mbappé and Yamal had stronger claims and questioned the circumstances surrounding the ceremony, saying: “It’s quite a coincidence that they take the 70th anniversary Ballon d’Or ceremony to London and someone from London wins it.” He also suggested Kane had not expected to win, pointing to his reaction when his name was announced.
Yet the majority of the Spanish press acknowledged Kane as a deserving winner. The debate in Spain underlines the tension between individual excellence and team success, while in Germany Kane’s triumph is being treated as a moment for both Bayern and the Bundesliga to project their reach.