Harry Kane has said he would not turn down a knighthood after becoming the first English Ballon d'Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001, but admits being called 'Sir' would feel strange.
The Bayern Munich striker clinched the award on Monday night, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. His 73-goal campaign, a Bundesliga title-winning run and an impressive World Cup secured the trophy.
Kane's response to knighthood talk
Whispers of a knighthood have circulated this week, and Kane has now made his thoughts clear. Speaking to BILD, he said: "I certainly wouldn't say no – I really appreciate it. If it came to that, it would be incredible and something I'd be incredibly proud of. But I don't want to get too carried away with it right now."
When asked how 'Sir Harry Kane' sounded to him, the 33-year-old added: "It sounds good, but it would feel kind of strange if everyone called me Sir – so for now, I'll just stick with Harry."
Rivals react and family plans
Kane beat Mbappe and Yamal to the award, with one of them congratulating their rival on social media. Celebrating his own Kopa trophy, Yamal said: "Congratulations to the winners. My focus now returns to what’s important, to make FC Barcelona win again."
Mbappe has stayed silent, opting to post a suited-up picture on Instagram while at the ceremony. Kane has expressed excitement at reuniting with his family and showing his four children the Ballon d'Or.
He said: "I'm really looking forward to seeing them again and showing them the trophy. I already know they'll try to play with it or pick it up – and it's quite heavy! I guess I'll have to keep an eye on that this time."
Bayern welcome and team gifts
Kane also thanked his Bayern team-mates for their warm welcome back to the club, as they gave him a guard of honour before the DFB-Pokal game against Magdeburg. He said: "It's strange. I don't usually enjoy that sort of thing. When I went out to warm up and everyone was standing there applauding – I don't know, it's almost a little embarrassing. But of course, I realise it's a big deal."
He plans to thank his club and country colleagues with a generous gift for their help in winning the award. Kane added: "Some of the guys have asked for watches or something similar – so I'll have to come up with something nice for them, both at Bayern and with the England national team. I'll take care of it; I'll definitely get everyone a nice present."
