Kane, Putellas taste Ballon d’Or glory

LONDON, England (AFP) — Harry Kane became England’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 25 years in his native city of London on Monday, beating out stiff competition from Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe. Alexia Putellas claimed the women’s prize for a third time to extend Spain’s domination of the award, thanks to her role in leading Barcelona to last season’s UEFA Champions League before moving to London City Lionesses. The first-ever Ballon d’Or ceremony on English soil got off to an inauspicious start as the London traffic caused a delay of nearly an hour, with many of the star names arriving late. But there was a happy ending for the hometown hero as Kane collected the crowning glory of his career to date. The 33-year-old Bayern Munich forward struck a remarkable 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season, propelling the German giants to a league and cup double. He also scored six times as England finished third at the World Cup. “Without you guys [his Bayern Munich teammates] and the rest of the team it wouldn’t be possible, the way you guys push me, the way we compete. So thank you very much,” Kane said after collecting the award. Kane’s medal collection is limited to German domestic triumphs since he arrived at Bayern in 2023. He was on the losing side for Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final against Liverpool, and twice tasted bitter defeat in the final of the European Championship with England. But his remarkable goalscoring consistency has earned him the highest individual award in football. “Making the move to Bayern Munich was a big step in my career,” Kane told AFP earlier. “Some people saw it as a risk but for me, it was always about improving and seeing if I could get better around the teammates, the team, the club — and it has pushed me onto another level. “Being a number nine for Bayern and England, you are expected to score goals — and to do that the number of times I did last year is something I’m really proud of,” he added. Winner in 2021 and 2022, Putellas’s third Ballon d’Or caps her return back to the top of the women’s game after an anterior cruciate ligament injury derailed her rise four years ago. Putellas succeeds Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati, the winner the past three years who was sidelined by a leg break for most of last season. “Ever since I suffered the injury I’ve been trying to enjoy every moment as if it were my last, because you never know if it’ll happen again,” Putellas told AFP in an interview last month. “I never felt that the [Ballon d’Or] trophy was ‘mine’... Having already experienced it once, I’m able to enjoy it even more now,” she said. Yamal made the boldest fashion statement of the contenders with a pink flower on the front of his black suit. The Barcelona winger scooped up the first award of the night for young talent of the year for the third-consecutive time. But the 19-year-old fell short of becoming the youngest-ever Ballon d’Or winner after he failed to produce his best form during Spain’s World Cup success. Mbappe got the better of Yamal with two goals as Real Madrid edged Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico on Sunday. But his wait to win the Ballon d’Or goes on despite his prolific year for France and Real Madrid. Luis de la Fuente beat out Paris SaintGermain’s Luis Enrique and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to be named men’s coach of the year, after leading Spain to World Cup glory. “I’m really privileged to work with a team of such high quality on a professional and human level,” de la Fuente said. Barcelona’s Pere Romeu scooped the prize for women’s coach of the year. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka won the Socrates award for his humanitarian work. Paris Saint-Germain missed out on securing any of the main individual awards despite winning a second-consecutive Champions League, but did have the consolation of winning men’s club of the year. Spanish duo Unai Simon and Cata Coll were named best men’s and women’s goalkeeper, respectively. Men’s rankings 1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England) 2. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, France) 3. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain) 4. Rodri (Barcelona, Spain) 5. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina) 6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia) 7. Ousmane Dembele (Paris SaintGermain, France) 8. Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway) 9. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France) 10. Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain, Spain) Women’s rankings 1. Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain) 2. Ewa Pajor (Barcelona, Poland) 3. Khadija Shaw (Manchester City, Jamaica) 4. Melchie Dumornay (Lyon, Haiti) 5. Patri Guijarro (Barcelona, Spain) 6. Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona, Norway) 7. Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich, Denmark) 8. Claudia Pina (Barcelona, Spain) 9. Alessia Russo (Arsenal, England) 10. Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current, Malawi)