Harry Kane has become the first English player in 25 years to win the Ballon d’Or after being crowned the world’s best footballer at a ceremony in London.

The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker ended England’s long wait for the prestigious individual award since former Liverpool forward Michael Owen won it in 2001.

Kane is the fifth Englishman to win the award, joining Stanley Matthews, who won in 1956, Bobby Charlton in 1966, and Kevin Keegan, who claimed the honour in 1978 and 1979.

Scotland’s Denis Law won the award in 1964, while Northern Ireland’s George Best was crowned in 1968, making Kane the latest player from the United Kingdom to receive the recognition.

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe finished second in the voting, while Barcelona and Spain youngster Lamine Yamal came third.

Reacting to the achievement, Kane said his journey to the top had been marked by challenges, self-doubt and the determination to prove himself.

“Not many people would have thought it, and maybe even I wouldn’t have thought I’d be this far,” Kane told DAZN.

“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 and work hard, a lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it, I had to show self-belief, determination.

“I think that grounded me even when I did make it at the highest level to keep improving and keep getting better.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed delight at Kane’s success, describing the award as a “huge honour”.

Prince William also praised the former Tottenham Hotspur player, describing him as a “brilliant captain” and a “remarkable player”.

Kane’s award follows an outstanding individual campaign in which he scored 61 goals in 51 club appearances for Bayern Munich, the highest tally ever recorded by a player for the German club in a single season.

His overall return, including international appearances for England, stood at 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches.

Only one player in the history of Europe’s top five leagues has recorded more goals in a season, with Lionel Messi scoring 82 for Barcelona and Argentina in the 2011-12 campaign.

Kane’s 61 goals for Bayern were 19 more than the tally managed by any other player at a club in Europe’s top five leagues last season. The figure was also the highest recorded by any player since Cristiano Ronaldo scored 61 goals for Real Madrid 11 years earlier.

The England captain finished as the Bundesliga’s leading scorer with 36 goals, 17 ahead of his nearest rival. He also scored 14 goals in the UEFA Champions League, despite Bayern’s elimination in the semi-finals.

In the German Cup, Kane scored 10 goals, including a hat-trick in Bayern’s 3-0 victory over Stuttgart in the final. He added another goal in the German Super Cup.

His 12 goals for England during the season, including six at the World Cup, took his overall tally to 73.

The only player from Europe’s leading leagues to surpass that total in a single season was Messi, whose 82 goals for Barcelona and Argentina remain the benchmark.

Former England striker Alan Shearer had backed Kane to win the award, pointing to his sustained performances for club and country.

“The winner of the Ballon d’Or should be Harry Kane,” Shearer told BBC Sport.

“His numbers for the last 12 to 18 months have been absolutely sensational for Bayern and for England. For that reason, he should get it.”

Former England international Danny Murphy also praised Kane’s consistency and impact at Bayern.

“His goalscoring has been relentless, brilliant. He’s had one of the best seasons of his career and it’ll be a great reward for him if he gets the trophy,” Murphy said.

“He’s been brilliant at Bayern Munich since he’s been there, adapted really well and he’s been the best centre forward in the world for the last 12 months.”

Kane’s achievement is particularly notable because he secured the award despite Bayern failing to win either the World Cup or the Champions League last season, having reached the semi-finals of both competitions.

Although his trophy collection remained limited compared with some previous Ballon d’Or winners, Kane won the German double last season, more than doubling his career trophy tally after also winning the Bundesliga the previous campaign.

The award also makes Kane the first Bayern Munich player to win the Ballon d’Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.

Bayern have previously had several prolific forwards, including Gerd Muller, Rummenigge and Robert Lewandowski, but none recorded a higher single-season goal tally for the club than Kane’s 61.

To celebrate the striker’s achievement, the Wembley arches were illuminated in gold on Monday night.

Kane’s triumph marks a significant personal milestone for the England captain, whose previous best finish in the Ballon d’Or voting was 10th, and recognises a season in which his goalscoring output placed him among the most prolific forwards in European football.