Harry Kane made soccer history by winning the Ballon d’Or. The FC Bayern striker edged out Kylian Mbappé in this year’s vote for the world’s best soccer player, ending a 45-year drought for the German record champions. But even though the awards ceremony took place several days ago, the Englishman apparently still can’t quite wrap his head around his historic triumph.
In an interview with France Football, the 33-year-old offered an emotional glimpse into the decisive moments of the gala in London. Kane revealed that, immediately before the winner was announced, he had been significantly more nervous than he had been during many important soccer matches.
“I don’t think I’ve fully realized what happened to me yet,” the Bayern star admitted. The seconds leading up to the announcement of his name, in particular, felt like an eternity to him.
Kane: “I was completely overwhelmed.”
As the decision was about to be made, Kane felt a level of tension that was completely unfamiliar to him.
He had been “nervous, really nervous,” the Englishman recalled. “It’s a completely different kind of pressure than what you feel on the field before a big game, when you know you can influence the outcome with a good performance or a goal.”
While Kane can help determine the outcome of a match himself on the field, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony he was at the mercy of the international journalists’ votes.
The few seconds leading up to the announcement of the winner therefore felt to him “like 20 minutes.”
When his name was finally called, all his emotions came flooding out at once. “When he said my name, all my emotions hit me at once: relief, happiness… I didn’t even know how to react. I was completely overwhelmed. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
Kane sees this as special recognition of his playing style
For the Bayern striker, however, the award holds special significance not only because of the emotional ceremony.
Kane also sees his triumph as recognition for players who don’t distinguish themselves solely through spectacular individual plays.
In the past, he noted, the Ballon d’Or was often awarded to players “who can decide a game with a dribble, their speed, or a moment of brilliance.”
The Englishman, on the other hand, impresses not only with his exceptional goal-scoring ability but above all with his versatility. Time and again, he drops back into midfield, helps build up play, and sets up goals for his teammates.
The 33-year-old is particularly pleased that these qualities were taken into account in the voting. “I feel that the voters understood that soccer is based on many things. This award also recognizes hard work.”
For Kane, this success is therefore also a validation of his team-oriented playing style. “A team is strong when its best players are willing to take on these responsibilities as well,” emphasized the Bayern star.
With his Ballon d’Or triumph, Kane has now also won the highest individual honor in world soccer. Following numerous personal records and his first major team titles with FC Bayern, it marks another milestone in his career.
The fact that this success still leaves him speechless even days later shows just how special the Ballon d’Or is to the English national team player.