Harry Kane collected the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, and one of his oldest team-mates has offered a warm response. Hugo Lloris, who spent a decade alongside Kane at Tottenham Hotspur, told L'Equipe he was delighted to see the England captain recognised in his home city, according to Goal.com. Kane, now 33, also received the Gerd Muller Trophy on the night.
Why it matters
The award makes Kane the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or in 25 years, Goal.com reports. He finished ahead of Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. The prize capped a season in which Kane scored 73 goals, won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and helped England to third place at the World Cup.
For Lloris, the result carried a personal dimension. The two men shared a dressing room in north London for roughly a decade, and the former France captain said watching a former colleague take football's leading individual honour in London gave him particular pleasure.
A complete player, not just a scorer
Kane joined Tottenham's ranks in 2009 and went out on several loans before establishing himself in the first team. Lloris arrived at the club in August 2012, and the pair were permanent team-mates from mid-2013 until Kane moved to Bayern in August 2023. Lloris, now 39, left for Los Angeles FC in December 2023.
Speaking to L'Equipe, Lloris described how Kane's game has broadened over the years. He said the striker has built an unusually wide range of skills and keeps refining them season after season. According to Goal.com's account of the interview, Lloris listed short passing, long passing, tackling and tracking back among Kane's strengths, and called him the best player in the penalty area without question.
Lloris also highlighted Kane's temperament. He said the forward does not seek attention, and argued that the Ballon d'Or reflects steady professionalism and modesty rather than any publicity effort. He pointed to Ousmane Dembele's win as a previous case of a team-first player being honoured, and to Karim Benzema in 2022, before adding that Kane offers considerably more than goals alone. Lloris called him a role model for the sport.
Back to club duty
Kane has started the current campaign in strong form, with 10 goals and seven assists in 12 appearances across all competitions, per Goal.com. His attention now returns to Bayern, who host Magdeburg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday evening. A Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund follows at the weekend, with the matchday eight fixture set for Saturday, October 31.
The coming week will show how quickly Kane settles back into club rhythm after a landmark night in London.
