It was a truly crowning moment for Harry Kane on Monday. The 33-year-old was named the 2026 Ballon d'Or, the most coveted individual prize in the sport. He became the first English player to win the award in 25 years, with Michael Owen in 2001 being the last.

Kane's victory was anything but unanimous, though. Per the France Football editor-in-chief, Vincent Garcia, the gap in votes between Kane and runner-up Kylian Mbappe was fewer than 41 points. Kane apparently made a late voting surge, after Mbappe had been "ahead in the race for most of the voting period".

Lamine Yamal came in third, while his Spain teammate Rodri was fourth. The 39-year-old Lionel Messi rounded out the Top 5. The look on Mbappe's face at the award ceremony was very telling, but there are plenty of reasons why Kane ended up winning it over him.

Harry Kane put together a historic season in many regards

Following Kane's victory, Sofia Lucena of SI.com layed out five reasons why he was the chosen one: Goalscoring Record, Titles Everywhere, England's Best World Cup Finish Since 1966, More Than Just a Goalscorer, and Records & Recognitions.

It really is hard to argue given the type of season Kane had. His goalscoring numbers were outrageous, as he ended with 73 goals in 65 games across club and national team competitions. Only Messi in 2011-12 has ever scored more in a season in Europe.

Kane captured a domestic double with Bayern Munich, helped his club reach the semifinals of the Champions League, and helped England reach the semifinals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Yamal won the World Cup, but he wasn't as influential throughout the tournament as he would have liked. Mbappe was a goalscoring machine for both club and country, but Real Madrid went trophyless. Kane had plenty of merit in winning the Ballon d'Or over his peers.