Harry Kane has been crowned the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to lift the prestigious award.

The England and Bayern Munich forward enjoyed a superb campaign for club and country, netting 73 goals in all competitions.

Kane is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001 and just the fifth in history after leading England to the World Cup semi-finals and winning a domestic double with Bayern.

The 33-year-old beat Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi to the Ballon d’or in front of a star-studded list of attendees at the London Palladium.

Here, Standard Sport looks back at the three performances that propelled Kane on to Ballon d’Or glory...

Mr England: Harry Kane

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England were on the brink of an embarrassing early World Cup exit when they found themselves 1-0 down to DR Congo in Atalanta.

That was before Kane took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring twice in the space of 11 minutes at the end of the second half to secure England’s place in the last 16.

The England captain headed the Three Lions level, connecting with Anthony Gordon’s inswinging cross in the 75th minute to give Thomas Tuchel’s side a lifeline.

The game appeared to be going to extra time until Kane pulled out a thumping right-footed effort from the edge of the box in the 86th minute.

The man for the big occasion, Kane then scored in the dramatic last-16 victory over Mexico to draw level with Gary Lineker as the England player with the most World Cup knockout goals.

Harry Kane had a record-breaking night in the Champions League

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Kane was at the centre of arguably the most entertaining game in Europe last season as PSG beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Paris.

Bayern took the lead when Kane scored from the penalty spot in the 17th minute before showcasing his playmaking capabilities by dropping deep to assist Luis Diaz with an inch-perfect pass in behind.

On a night when Bayern went toe-to-toe with the eventual winners, Kane led the line with aplomb as the Bundesliga giants came close to completing a remarkable comeback.

Kane’s strike in the French capital also made him the first English player to score in six consecutive Champions League outings, surpassing Steven Gerrard’s run of five.

Hat-trick hero: Harry Kane delivers Bayern’s latest Pokal

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Kane scored 10 goals in six DFB Pokal games last season, netting his first goals in a major final for club or country, with a hat-trick in the final to secure a 3-0 win over Stuttgart.

Cup competitions are often an opportunity to rest key players. But such is Kane’s importance to Bayern, he started and scored in every round, including crucial opening goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals against RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.

His second-half treble against Stuttgart settled an even contest and marked an historic night for Kane.

He opened the scoring in the 55th minute with a stooped header from Michael Olise’s right-wing cross before doubling Bayern’s lead with a superb swivel and shot inside the 18-yard-box with 10 minutes left.

Kane completed his hat-trick, the fifth of a goal-laden campaign, from the penalty spot in added time to seal Bayern’s domestic double in style.