Harry Kane has been officially recognised as the world's best player after winning the Ballon d'Or, fending off competition from Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. The England captain accepted the iconic golden ball at Monday's ceremony in London, capping a historic season in which he scored 73 goals for club and country across all competitions.
Kane's Historic Achievement
Kane's latest achievement has renewed calls for him to be further recognised with a knighthood. He is arguably the country's greatest ever footballer, despite never winning a major tournament with the Three Lions. Most of the time, a player or manager needs to win something with England to justify being knighted, as seen with Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Alf Ramsey after their 1966 World Cup glory.
However, Kane is the country's all-time top scorer and is only the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or, following Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Stanley Matthews, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen.
Calls for Knighthood
There is already an appetite for Kane to be knighted, with a motion tabled by Liberal Democrat politician Layla Moran earlier this year. She argued that Kane had shown "inspirational leadership on and off the pitch" and noted that he "has now scored more goals than Pele at World Cups."
However, others might argue that it could still be too early to honour Kane, who already has an MBE to his name. Rarely are footballers knighted when they are still active, and only 16 players have joined that exclusive club in the history of the game, suggesting Kane might have to wait until he retires.
Royal Approval
Kane already has royal approval, though. Prince William, the future King, sent a congratulatory message to the England captain on social media after his Ballon d'Or triumph. Taking to Instagram, William wrote: "Huge congratulations to Harry Kane on winning the Ballon d'Or! What a fantastic achievement and so deserved."
He added: "A brilliant captain, a remarkable player and someone who has given football fans across the world so many unforgettable moments."
