New Delhi, Oct 27 — Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli has congratulated England football captain Harry Kane on being honoured with the prestigious Ballon d'Or award and said the striker deserves every bit of this award.
The England captain beat the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to land the prestigious award, which he was presented with at the ceremony at the London Palladium Theatre.
He became just the fifth Englishman to win the award, after Sir Stanley Matthews (1956), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979), Michael Owen (2001).
"Harry my friend, you deserve every bit of this award for your resilience, hard work and honesty with which you’ve carried yourself through all these years playing football at the top. Really happy for you. God bless you and your family. They must all be very proud of you as you would be of your own journey. My best wishes always. Congratulations," Kohli posted on X.
Kane’s 36 goals for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga in 2025/26 earned the striker a second European Golden Shoe, while his 61 goals across all competitions for the German giant made headlines around the globe.
He also received the Gerd Muller Trophy, given to the best men’s Striker of the Year. It is the second time he has won the award, having shared the prize with Kylian Mbappe in 2024.
The English striker enjoyed a goal-laden season with Bayern Munich and England, scoring 73 times in 65 games – 61 of which came for his club and 12 for his country.
Kane’s contributions helped England to finish third at the FIFA World Cup 2026 earlier this summer, the Three Lions’ best finish at a World Cup since winning it in 1966.
The forward – Europe’s top scorer last season – also won the Bundesliga title, DFB-Pokal and Franz Beckenbauer Supercup with Bayern Munich.