Virat Kohli congratulates Harry Kane on Ballon d'Or win, says he deserves the honour

Indian cricket great Virat Kohli has congratulated England football captain Harry Kane on winning the Ballon d'Or. Kohli said Kane deserves the award and the honour.

Kohli wrote on X: "Harry, my friend, you deserve this award for the intent, the hard work and the honesty with which you have carried yourself while playing at the highest level for so many years. I am very happy for your success. May God bless you and your family. They will be as proud of this journey of yours as you are. My best wishes are always with you. Congratulations once again."

The England captain won the prestigious award ahead of players including France's Kylian Mbappe and Spain's Lamine Yamal. Kane was presented the award at a ceremony at the London Palladium theatre.

With the win, Kane becomes the fifth British player to win the award. Before him, Sir Stanley Matthews (1956), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Michael Owen (2001) had won it. Kane is the first England player to win the Ballon d'Or in 25 years.

Kane had a season full of goals. He scored 36 goals for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga in the 2025/26 season, which earned the striker the European Golden Shoe for a second time. Across all competitions, he scored 61 goals for the German club, maintaining his dominance worldwide.

Kane also won the Gerd Muller Trophy, awarded to the best male striker of the year. This is the second time he has won it. In 2024, he shared the award with Kylian Mbappe.

In all, the English striker played 65 matches for Bayern Munich and England and scored 73 goals. Of these, 61 were for his club and 12 for his country. With Kane's contribution, England finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026. It is England's best performance since winning the World Cup in 1966.