Harry Kane was a popular winner of the 70th Ballon d’Or and Jamie Carragher has offered his verdict with a sly dig at Tottenham Hotspur
Jamie Carragher aimed a sly dig at Tottenham Hotspur after Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or triumph on Monday night.
The striker became the first Englishman in 25 years to win the prestigious award, seeing off competition from Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The 33-year-old, who netted 73 goals for club and county during the 2025-26 campaign, was visibly emotional on stage at the London Palladium after Brazilian legend Ronaldo presented him with the award.
Kane thanked Tottenham, Bayern Munich, England and his friends and family in an emotional speech in front of an energetic crowd. The former Spurs star insisted he "wouldn’t be where I am today" without the Lilywhites, where he scored 280 goals in 435 appearances before leaving for a fee in the region of £100million three years ago.
Since his departure Kane has scored 156 goals in 159 matches for Bayern and established himself as one of the world's best strikers. During his time in Germany, he has won the Bundesliga twice, the DFB Cup once and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup twice. As well as the main Ballon d’Or prize on Monday night, Kane also won the Gerd Müller Trophy as the best goalscorer in the 2025/26 season.
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Speaking after the ceremony, Carragher insisted Kane would not have won the Ballon d'Or if he was still playing at Tottenham. “It’s a move he needed to make," the former Liverpool defender told Sky Sports.
"I thought he might be obsessed with the Premier League goalscoring record, but he’s obsessed with goalscoring records, not just that one. But it also gives him a great chance of winning the Champions League and being involved in Ballon d’Or selections. There’s no way Harry Kane could’ve won the Ballon d’Or if he was playing for Tottenham."
Carragher went on to praise Kane for his achievements. "Absolutely delighted. What a career he’s had, what a player he is, and as a country, we haven’t got enough Ballon d’Or winners,” he said.
“My former team-mate Michael Owen was the last to win it in 2001, so it’s been a long wait. But in terms of Harry Kane, and I think Jude Bellingham, who’s going to be a future Ballon d’Or winner, we do have two of the greatest players of their era. I’m delighted for Kane and the country.”
Kane planned to enjoy his Ballon d’Or victory with family and friends with a flight back to Munich booked for Tuesday morning before Bayern’s afternoon training ahead of Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal tie with Magdeburg.
"Being here in London, it was a good omen for me and it’s been too long," Kane said. "We have so many incredible English players. Me growing up, watching the greats, for none of those guys to be able to win this award is obviously a shame.
“So, to put us back on the map and be here with this trophy, I am extremely proud. I still have a lot to achieve in the game, from the Champions League at club level to winning a major trophy with England, that’s a number one priority for sure so there are so many great things that I want to achieve.”