Dele Alli wasted no time celebrating after watching his old Tottenham Hotspur teammate Harry Kane win the 2026 Ballon d’Or on Monday. Kane beat Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal in London to become the first English winner since 2001. After the ceremony, Dele posted photos of the striker holding the trophy on Instagram. He wrote “Deserved!” and “Proud of you brother” for his close friend.

Few players saw Kane work behind the scenes at Hotspur Way quite like Dele did between 2015 and 2022. Speaking about the striker’s rise to the top, the former Spurs midfielder pointed to the hours Kane spent on the training pitch. Dele said,

“Do you know how hard he works? He deserves this more than anyone.”

During their seven seasons together in N17, the pair formed a lethal partnership in the Premier League. Dele joined Tottenham as a teenager from MK Dons in 2015 and clicked right away with the club number ten. Under Mauricio Pochettino, the two Englishmen tore defences apart with late runs and quick flicks. They helped Spurs push for the title and reach the 2019 Champions League final.

A Partnership Built On Goals And Hard Work In North London

Kane left Tottenham in 2023 as the club record scorer with 280 goals in 435 games. Although their careers took different paths after Dele left in 2022, the two men have stayed close off the pitch. Kane thanked Spurs on stage on Monday after scoring 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last term. Watching his old partner win the top prize clearly meant plenty to Dele.

Tottenham fans loved seeing Dele join the tributes pouring in for their former captain this week. At their best in Lilywhite, nobody in England linked up better around the penalty box than Kane and Dele. While Kane now leads the line in Germany, his road to the Ballon d’Or started alongside Dele on the pitches of North London. That shared history still means a lot to everyone at the club.