Downing Street has hinted at an honour for the England captain, who became the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d'Or.
Harry Kane became the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d'Or on Monday night, beating Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal at a ceremony in London. The England captain and Bayern Munich striker had scored 73 goals across all competitions in a stellar season for club and country. Ronaldo, the former Brazil forward, read out his name.
Kane is the fifth Englishman to win the award, after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen, whose win in 2001 was the last by an England player before this one.
Downing Street has hinted at a knighthood. On Tuesday, a No 10 spokeswoman passed on Prime Minister Andy Burnham's congratulations and said being the first Englishman to win it in 25 years is an extraordinary achievement. She said: "And, hopefully, there's another trophy to celebrate with England before too long." Asked about a knighthood, she said: "I think everyone would agree, Harry Kane has given an enormous amount to English football, and this is a very special moment for him and the country, but, as ever, I'm not going to pre-empt the honours process."
The Guardian notes that Burnham cannot decide whether to hand Kane a knighthood. Ministers, departments and private individuals can all make recommendations to the honours committee. Kane already holds an MBE, awarded after England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Players are often not knighted until after they retire, and Sir David Beckham and Sir Gareth Southgate both received knighthoods last year.
Kane was asked about a knighthood after Bayern's cup win over Magdeburg on Wednesday night, a match he watched from the bench. He told reporters: "I wouldn't say no to it, that's for sure." He went on to say what it would mean to him:
"If it happens it'll be incredible, and something I'll be massively proud of. But I don't want to get too carried away."
Asked how it would feel to be called Sir Harry Kane, he replied: "It would sound good, but I'd feel weird everyone calling me Sir. So we'll just keep it as Harry for now."
Kane said Bayern's assistant coach Aaron Danks had told him he was thinking of resting him for the Magdeburg game even before the Ballon d'Or. Videos of an after party in London had circulated on social media. When the question was put to him over whether his rest had come from partying excessively, Kane replied: "No, I didn't party too hard."
The Prince of Wales wrote on Instagram: "What a fantastic achievement and so deserved." Jamie Carragher, who was a teammate of Michael Owen when Owen won the award in 2001, told Sky Sports: "Absolutely delighted. What a career he's had, what a player he is, and as a country, we haven't got enough Ballon d'Or winners." England manager Thomas Tuchel said: "I ran out of superlatives to describe your performances a long time ago, but I'm delighted to see that you have been formally recognised by the football world."
On stage Kane spoke for more than 10 minutes. He addressed his wife directly: "You're my biggest supporter." He added: "This is a trophy that we celebrate, not me."
Goal reports that Kane's wife and children stayed in London during the week, so they have yet to see the trophy in person. Kane said: "I'm really looking forward to seeing them again and showing them the trophy." At the ceremony, he also said he would aim to retain the award in 12 months' time.
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