Ranking England's Ballon d'Or winners - how does Kane compare?

Ranking England's Ballon d'Or winners - how does Kane compare?

English Ballon d'Or winners have been few and far between. Triumphs to be treasured, names never to be forgotten.

Harry Kane, England's great talisman and captain, is the first to claim football's grandest individual accolade in 25 years after a sensational campaign in Bayern Munich colours - and only the fifth Englishman to ever do so.

England World Cup winner Bobby Charlton did it in 1966, and that came after Stanley Matthews won the inaugural prize a decade earlier - handed what began life as the European Footballer of the Year award in 1956.

Others have come close - Billy Wright, Bobby Moore, Gary Lineker, David Beckham and Frank Lampard are all among the runners-up. Lucy Bronze, in 2019, and Beth Mead, 2022, also more recently finished second.

The caveat with those earlier winners is that it was not a worldwide prize - until 1995 it was only open to European players, and only in 2007 did it expand to include all players from all clubs across the world.

However, that does not detract from the award-winning performances these stars produced - each enjoyed prize-worthy campaigns that caught voters' eyes across Europe and the world.

5. Michael Owen, Liverpool, 2001

Only Brazil's Ronaldo, in 1997, was younger than Owen when he won the Ballon d'Or in 2001

We won't hold it against Michael Owen for suggesting he didn't know what the Ballon d'Or was when Gerard Houllier first rang to announce he'd won it.

Owen in those days, even after his initial hamstring struggles, was explosive, electric - searing pace and acceleration complemented by the most ruthless of finishes. He became a renowned goalscorer in his teenage years and, by 2001, was one of the most sought-after youngsters in world football.

Owen's Ballon d'Or-winning year was one of iconic moments. He helped Liverpool to a treble, clinching the League Cup on penalties before beating Arsenal in the FA Cup final - Owen scored twice late on to turn the game in Liverpool's favour.

The leveller was an acrobatic and clinically taken strike inside the Arsenal box, the winner a devastating break in which the prolific striker darted away from Lee Dixon and Tony Adams before slotting past David Seaman with his left foot.

The forward then set up two of the goals as Houllier's side beat Alaves 5-4 in extra time in the Uefa Cup final, having earlier in the competition scored a famous double against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico that carried the Reds through.

He finished the season as Liverpool's top goalscorer with 24 in all competitions. Owen's most iconic performance that year, however, came for England against Germany, scoring a famous hat-trick in Munich.

Injuries meant Owen never maintained that peak for as long as he would have hoped. Indeed, only Brazilian great Ronaldo claimed a Ballon d'Or at a more tender age.

4. Stanley Matthews, Blackpool, 1956

Sir Stanley Matthews, first and oldest winner of the Ballon d'Or - a prize then decided by voters from 16 countries.

Twelve of the panel put the Blackpool winger on their ballot, with six placing him first - beating Alfredo di Stefano and Raymond Kopa, who competed in the inaugural European Cup final for Real Madrid and Reims, respectively. That alone shows how revered Matthews was.

Matthews, two months shy of his 42nd birthday when he received the award, led Blackpool to second in the English top flight. This was behind Manchester United's Busby Babes that season, though voters were likely influenced by his performance in the FA Cup final three years earlier. Then, the Tangerines beat Bolton 4-3 in a match dubbed the 'Matthews Final' and broadcast in cinemas.

In an era where following the game often came largely via radio and newspaper reports, Matthews' mythical status drew fans to stadiums in huge numbers, with curious onlookers keen for a glimpse of his magic whenever Blackpool came to town. He dazzled for England, too.

Matthews was born during the First World War and would remarkably continue playing for another nine years after his award, retiring aged 50. His longevity no doubt was a factor, but should not take away from his continued brilliance.

Matthews was famous the world over, lauded by fellow stars for his creativity and ingenuity at a time where greatness did not boil down to individual stats. A creator rather than a scorer.

He was innovative, too. Nicknamed 'The Wizard of the Dribble', he would perform stretching and breathing exercises, do extra training and take care of his diet - fasting and not drinking alcohol.

Most poignantly, he was one of football's great entertainers, described by Ballon d'Or founder Gabriel Hanot - who was thought to have preferred Di Stefano - as the sport's Charlie Chaplin.

Matthews was adored by a generation, an outside right who became an icon. He received the award in the modest surroundings of Blackpool Town Hall, a low-key affair but one that cemented his legacy.

3. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich, 2026

Now, Harry Kane has produced one of the most sensational individual campaigns on record. You could argue that should place him higher, but those above him on this list have done some heavy lifting, too.

Looking at his output from the beginning of the 2025-26 season to the end of this summer's World Cup, the evaluation period for this year's award, Kane has delivered the most goals for club and country by any player in Europe's top five leagues since Lionel Messi's astonishing 2011-12 return.

The England skipper netted 61 times in 51 outings across all competitions for Bayern, winning a German league and cup double while also becoming the fastest player to hit a century of Bundesliga goals.

The argument, of course, is that Kane is playing for a dominant Bayern side in a league they are heavy favourites to win each year.

Kane has been developing and maturing into one of England's all-time greats ever since those early loan spells at Leyton Orient and Millwall. His Premier League output for Tottenham was phenomenal season upon season, gradually adding assists to a prolific goal output.

2. Bobby Charlton, Manchester United, 1966

Bobby Charlton scored three times in England's World Cup-winning campaign, incuding twice in the semi-final

The question mark hanging over those winners pre-1995, when the award opened beyond European players, or even before 2007, when it became truly global, is whether there was a more worthy recipient sitting outside the current criteria.

But 20 years earlier, few could dismiss the credentials of a man who pioneered the Three Lions' first and only World Cup triumph, Manchester United's Bobby Charlton.

A survivor of the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, Charlton and United went on to win the FA Cup in 1963 and English top flight two years later. By 1966, at the age of 28, Charlton was in his prime, heading into the World Cup on the back of 16 top-flight goals from midfield for United that season.

Not only was he at the heart of that United side, who reached the European Cup semi-finals, he was the man England boss Alf Ramsey decided to build his team around for a first World Cup on home soil.

After an opening goalless draw with Uruguay, Charlton gave England's campaign lift-off with a scampering run from the halfway line followed by a trademark strike from distance that was still rising when it crashed into the corner of the Wembley net.

Charlton helped carry the hosts to the semi-finals, where he scored twice as England knocked out Euesbio's Portugal, before he and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer tussled in the final as England won 4-2 in extra time.

Benfica's Eusebio finished second to Charlton in the Ballon d'Or rankings that year and Bayern Munich's Beckenbauer was third, with Charlton's World Cup performances showcasing not only his knack for a goal, passing range and poise, but also his selflessness. A true team player.

It was a fruitful era for individual success at Old Trafford. Scotland's Denis Law won the Ballon d'Or two years earlier and Northern Ireland's George Best scooped the prize in 1968 as United won the European Cup.

Charlton finished second in successive years after his triumph. But his pivotal role in England's World Cup triumph earns him the runner-up spot on this list.

1. Kevin Keegan, Hamburg, 1978 & 1979

Kevin Keegan spent three seasons at Hamburg, helping the club to a first German title since the formation of the Bundesliga

Kevin Keegan scored 20 times as Liverpool won the European Cup and English First Division in 1977, and were a whisker away from completing the Treble - losing the FA Cup final to Manchester United. He also finished as Ballon d'Or runner-up to Borussia Monchengladbach's Danish star Allan Simonsen.

Keegan followed Simonsen to Germany by the time the award was announced, joining Cup Winners' Cup holders Hamburg on a lucrative deal, though they were hammered by his former side in the European Super Cup - and Keegan endured a slow start to Bundesliga life that was not helped by an eight-week suspension for punching someone in a friendly during the winter break.

Keegan soon settled but his first season was nothing spectacular. Instead 'Mighty Mouse' made a flying start to the new campaign - one in which Hamburg would become Bundesliga champions for the first time.

He also produced some impressive individual displays for England, even though the Three Lions missed out on that summer's World Cup, scoring against Brazil in a friendly and twice against Denmark in September.

Keegan's form was timely. He arguably deserved to win the Ballon d'Or a year earlier, which perhaps lingered in voters' minds, making 22 of the 26 ballot papers and ranking top on nine to finish above Barcelona's Austrian star Hans Krankl.

Keegan continued to flourish after Christmas to finish with 17 top-flight goals, including 11 in 12 games during the run-in. But it was more than just the goals, with Keegan a scampering, relentlessly creative presence.

The fluid, attacking HSV were in the midst of storming their way to a European Cup final when Keegan was named Europe's best player for a second successive year on Christmas Day 1979, this time being named top by 18 of the 26 voters.

Hamburg would lose the European Cup final to Nottingham Forest at the Bernabeu, Keegan's last game before leaving for Southampton.

After a tricky start, Keegan left Hamburg in 1980 as a fan favourite and club icon