Harry Kane wins the Ballon d’Or as Arsenal star also does us proud on night of boring excess
Harry Kane has beaten Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe to win the Ballon d’Or on a very long night of excess in which Bukayo Saka joined him in doing us Englanders proud.
After 73 goals in 65 games for club and country, Kane became the first Englishman to win the gong for 25 years after Michael Owen won it in 2001. Congratulations, Harry. A worthy winner.
“Wow, wow, wow,” he said as he took to the stage.
“I am almost speechless,” he added. “Being here in London has made it extra special.
“Made it a good omen for me tonight. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I can imagine it was tough this year.
“Some world-class players in the room tonight. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees tonight and impressive showing determination and hard work can really achieve.”
Arsenal fans weren’t at all happy earlier in the evening when their highest-placed player finished 15th after they won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final, but they can be hugely proud of Saka, who cut through the glitz and glamour with a typical show of humility as he picked up the Socrates award.
Presented in recognition of the best humanitarian and social work carried out by a footballer worldwide, Saka was handed the gong for his work with BigShoe, a charity which stands up for children from disadvantaged regions.
“I would like to thank France football for the opportunity to be here. Keep raising awareness of these causes that are close to my heart,” said Saka before reading out a letter penned by Biren Giroe.
‘To everyone here tonight, my name is Biren Giroe, I’m 14 years old and I live in a village in Rwanda. I want to share my story with you.
‘When I was 12 I started losing my sight. My village has no electricity and as I got older my sight got worse. Even moving around my home got difficult
‘At school I couldn’t read what my teachers wrote on the blackboard and I struggled to play with my friends. I just wanted to play freely like every other child.
‘Then thanks to BigShoe I received the eye care that I needed and today I can read the blackboard, even from the back of the classroom.
‘But more importantly, I no longer need to worry about feeling different. I can enjoy being a child again.
‘For the first time in a long time I’m excited about my future. I want to become an English teacher one day.
‘I know many of you here tonight have achieved your childhood dreams and now I believe I can achieve mine too.
‘May God bless you all abundantly. With love and gratitude, Biren Giroe.’
Our eyeballs were sweating before Saka further tugged at the heartstrings when asked why the work he does with BigShoe is so important to him.
“I think all of us here know how it feels to be a child with a ball at your feet and knowing how much joy you have, so every time I have the opportunity to help another kid have that feeling again that’s really important to me,” he said.
It was a moment of genuine emotion and importance, not long before the fan vote for the Ballon d’Or of all time (BOAT) went live, as if that’s a thing that anyone other than Cristiano Ronaldo wants, needs or cares about, which preceded a bloke levitating over a piano as an interlude while the big gold balls were ceremoniously unboxed.
And we’re not trying to demean Kane’s achievement. It’s deserved recognition of his genius and we understand that some people really, really care about the Ballon d’Or and that it’s importance will only grow as fans becoming increasingly obsessed with individuals rather than teams is a depressing reality us set-in-their-ways purists are going to have to accept.
But on a night of unparalleled excess, which saw more and more awards crammed into an absurdly protracted and boring ceremony, leading to auditorium boos when the final ad break was announced by presenter Kate Scott, the real winner was arguably England and Arsenal’s star boy, Bukayo Saka, for picking up an award that actually matters insofar as it recognises the tangible difference he’s making to young people’s lives rather than for scoring a few goals.
Full men’s Ballon d’Or ranking:
30) Sadio Mane
29) William Saliba
28) Julian Quinones
27) Bruno Fernandes
26) Dayot Upamecano
25) Marquinhos
24) Luis Diaz
23) Nuno Mendes
22) Lautaro Martinez
21) Gabriel Magalhaes
20) Willian Pacho
19) Joao Neves
18) Marc Cucurella
17) Vinicius Junior
16) Ferran Torres
15) Declan Rice
14) Vitinha
13) Achraf Hakimi
12) Pau Cubarsi
11) Jude Bellingham
10) Fabian Ruiz
9) Michael Olise
8) Erling Haaland
7) Ousmane Dembele
6) Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
5) Lionel Messi
4) Rodri
3) Lamine Yamal
2) Kylian Mbappe
1) Harry Kane
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