Kane's Ballon d'Or Win Revives Questions on Award's Reach

Harry Kane of Bayern Munich has become the first English player to receive the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001. The result has reopened debate over how the award defines individual excellence in a team sport. The prize was first presented in 1956 to Sir Stanley Matthews.

Between 2008 and 2025, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo claimed 13 of the 17 awards distributed. Steve Martin, a founding partner of MSQ Sport and Entertainment, said players now construct profiles and fanbases independently of their clubs, marketing themselves as individual brands. Ramon Vega, a former Switzerland defender, said the monetization of the award is moving it in the wrong direction.

The award has long drawn criticism for favoring attacking players over defenders and goalkeepers. Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to win, a feat he achieved in 1963. Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to win, in 2006, following Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer. Cannavaro said in 2006 that goalkeepers and defenders are integral to the spectacle and deserve recognition for their consistent impact on matches.

Eligibility rules also shaped who could contend. Only European players were eligible for nearly four decades after the award began. The rules changed in 1995 to include non-European players at European clubs, and opened to players worldwide in 2007. Recognition of talent outside Europe and South America remains limited.

George Weah of Liberia won in 1995 and remains the only player from outside Europe and South America to claim the honor. Weah, in a recent interview, expressed surprise that no other African player has won since his victory. He recalled his early passion for the game and his belief that other deserving players were overlooked by the selectors.

Samuel Eto'o, the former Cameroon striker, appears in discussions of candidates who never won. Jose Mourinho, who managed Eto'o at Inter Milan, said in a 2019 interview that Eto'o's career, including multiple Champions League titles and league championships, justified a win. Mourinho described the omission as something out of the players' control.

The voting panel for the award includes journalists from 100 countries. Organizers, France Football, are urged to draw on a more comprehensive understanding of the game to select nominees and winners. Kane's selection came after 13 of 17 awards from 2008 to 2025 went to Messi or Ronaldo.