What the World Looked Like When an Englishman Last Won the Ballon d'Or

Harry Kane is the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or tonight, nearly twenty-four years after Michael Owen became the last Englishman to claim the prize.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 26, 2026 · 5:26 PM 2 min read

Key takeaways

Harry Kane is the odds-on favourite to win the Ballon d'Or tonight at the London Palladium Theatre.

Michael Owen was the last Englishman to win the award on 18 December 2001.

Harry Kane scored 73 goals for club and country last season, helping Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title and German Cup.

When Michael Owen won in 2001, Newcastle topped the Premier League table in December.

Harry Kane enters tonight as the odds-on favourite to claim the Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium Theatre. Should bookmakers prove correct, he becomes just the fifth Englishman to receive the global accolade, following past winners Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen. When Owen secured the honour on 18 December 2001, the cultural landscape featured very different media and sports standings.

Back then, an eight-year-old Kane watched different entertainment hits dominate the public. J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone held the top spot as the number one film, while the opening chapter of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, premiered in cinemas the day after Owen won. Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman led the UK music charts with Somethin' Stupid, and Nickelback's track How You Remind Me enjoyed massive radio play across the 2000s.

Gamers today await Grand Theft Auto VI next month, but when Owen collected his trophy, Grand Theft Auto III filled Christmas wishlists. In football, Owen represented Liverpool as a rising star before later stints at Real Madrid and Newcastle. Sir Bobby Robson managed Newcastle to the top of the Premier League table in December 2001, though the team eventually finished fourth to secure Champions League qualification.

Kane could also end Bayern Munich's forty-five-year drought for a winner this evening. Aged 33, Kane secured the Bundesliga title and the German Cup with Bayern last season, alongside steering England to a third-place finish at the World Cup. He scored 73 goals across club and international fixtures, outscoring competitors Kylian Mbappe with 58 and Lamine Yamal with 25.

Speaking last week about the possibility, the former Tottenham star stated, "It'd be incredible if I do [win it]. It'd be special for sure."

He added, "I'd love to win it, but we will have to wait and see. A big night, but I'm not getting carried away."