Photo via Sky Sports

From forgettable EFL loans to Ballon d'Or winner - Kane's 'Cinderella story'

Harry Kane has claimed the 2026 Ballon d'Or, making him the first English player to receive the individual honour in a quarter-century and only the fifth recipient in the award's history. The Bayern Munich forward was 33 years old at the time of his victory, a stark contrast to Michael Owen, who won the prize in 2001 at age 22 just four years after his professional debut.

Tim Sherwood, who managed Kane during his early Premier League career, described the striker's trajectory as a unique fairy tale, noting that Kane had to overcome significant hurdles and multiple loan spells to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Kane acknowledged this difficult path in his acceptance speech, highlighting that he did not follow a direct route to stardom but instead had to fight through various loan moves to establish himself.

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