Harry Kane paid tribute to former club Tottenham Hotspur in his emotional speech after being crowned the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner.

The 33-year-old Bayern Munich and England striker was announced as the best player on the planet by Brazilian icon Ronaldo in front of a star-studded ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday.

Kane fended off competition from players including Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to become the fifth Englishman in history to win the Ballon d’Or and the first since Michael Owen in 2001.

In 2026, Kane was at his prolific best for club and country, scoring a staggering 54 goals across all competitions to help Bayern win back-to-back Bundesliga titles and inspire England to the World Cup semi-finals.

Kane has elevated his game to new heights as a talismanic figure at Bayern, but the striker was keen to thank Spurs for their involvement in his development and fairytale rise to the very top.

Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane: "Thank you to Tottenham Hotspur"

Speaking on stage after holding the Ballon d’Or trophy for the first time, Kane said: "Thank you to Tottenham Hotspur as well,” before a huge cheer from the crowed echoed around the London Palladium.

“I was there from 11 years old. [With] all the guidance, the coaches, you allowed me to live my dream. So, for sure, without all those moments together, all the ups and down along the way of that journey has led me to this moment here today, so I just want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur.

"To all the fans, Bayern, England fans, Spurs fans and all my fans around the world. I love you in this room tonight.

"The support you give me - I appreciate it all. I remember being a fan not long ago and what it means to play football. It was a dream of mine.

"Any time I can give back to you guys is an honour and privilege to do so."

Kane also paid tribute to a number of his coaches he was trained by from his early days in Spurs’ academy.

"I want to give a shout out to some of my coaches that have helped me along the way," he continued. "If I have forgot anyone, I am really sorry. I'll start from the early days: Bradley Allen, Chris Ramsey, John McDermott, who is here tonight, Alex Inglethorpe, Tim Sherwood, Ryan Mason, who is here tonight, one of my best friends, Ryan."

The rise of Harry Kane: From EFL loans to Ballon d'Or winner

Kane’s footballing journey began in N17 as he joined Tottenham’s academy before enjoying a 14-year career on the books at the Lilywhites.

His spell in North London included four separate loan spells to EFL clubs at the start of his career, and those experiences helped shape the striker into the prolific goalscorer he is today.

Although Kane was unable to win any major silverware as a Spurs player, he eventually became the club greatest-ever goalscorer, netting a total of 280 goals in 435 appearances before completing a Bundesliga-record transfer to Bayern in 2023.

The Leytonstone-born striker has since become England’s all-time leading goalscorer (91) and joint-record appearance-maker (125), while he is already Bayern’s sixth-highest scorer in history with a whopping 156 goals in 159 games.

Kane has been the Bundesliga’s top scorer in each of his three full seasons in Germany, netting 36 times in just 31 matches during the 2025-26 campaign, and he is set to commit his future to the Bavarian giants by extending his contract – his current deal runs out in June 2027.