61 Bayern Goals Power Harry Kane to Become First English Player to Win Ballon d’Or Since 2001
Reported by FOX Sports ·
A landmark award for Kane
Kane’s Ballon d’Or win ends a 24-year wait for an English winner. Michael Owen was the last Englishman to take the honor, in 2001. The award follows a standout campaign for Kane with Bayern Munich and England. The article describes it as a memorable year for the striker.
Goals and trophies at Bayern
Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern in 2025-26, including 36 in the Bundesliga. That league tally earned him the scoring title for a third season in a row and a second European Golden Shoe.
A season among the highest totals
Across club and country, Kane scored 73 goals. Since 2000, only one player has recorded a higher total in a season: Lionel Messi, with 82 in 2011-12. Messi has won the Ballon d’Or eight times, the most in the award’s history. Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé was the previous winner.
Key points
- Kane is the first English Ballon d’Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
- He scored 61 goals for Bayern and helped the club win three trophies.
- Kane’s 73 goals for club and country were second-highest since 2000.
- Lionel Messi holds the record with eight Ballon d’Or wins.