Harry Kane, England's great talisman and captain, is the first to claim football's grandest individual accolade in 25 years after a sensational campaign in Bayern Munich colours - and only the fifth Englishman to ever do so. Before him Michael Owen, in 2001, was the first Three Lions star to take it since Kevin Keegan's successive triumphs 22 years earlier. England World Cup winner Bobby Charlton did it in 1966, and that came after Stanley Matthews won the inaugural prize a decade earlier - handed what began life as the European Footballer of the Year award in 1956.
Others have come close - Billy Wright, Bobby Moore, Gary Lineker, David Beckham and Frank Lampard are all among the runners-up. Lucy Bronze, in 2019, and Beth Mead, 2022, also more recently finished second. Of course, the award has gradually evolved into the global behemoth it is today.
The caveat with those earlier winners is that it was not a worldwide prize - until 1995 it was only open to European players, and only in 2007 did it expand to include all players from all clubs across the world. However, that does not detract from the award-winning performances these stars produced - each enjoyed prize-worthy campaigns that caught voters' eyes across Europe and the world. But who among the five to have held the coveted prize is England's greatest Ballon d'Or winner?
We won't hold it against Michael Owen for suggesting he didn't know what the Ballon d'Or was when Gerard Houllier first rang to announce he'd won it. And, in fairness, the then 22-year-old swotted up sufficiently by the time he received the award, reeling off a list of previous winners. Owen in those days, even after his initial hamstring struggles, was explosive, electric - searing pace and acceleration complemented by the most ruthless of finishes.
He became a renowned goalscorer in his teenage years and, by 2001, was one of the most sought-after youngsters in world football. Owen's Ballon d'Or-winning year was one of iconic moments. He helped Liverpool to a treble, clinching the League Cup on penalties before beating Arsenal in the FA Cup final - Owen scored twice late on to turn the game in Liverpool's favour.
The leveller was an acrobatic and clinically taken strike inside the Arsenal box, the winner a devastating break in which the prolific striker darted away from Lee Dixon and Tony Adams before slotting past David Seaman with his left foot. The forward then set up two of the goals as Houllier's side beat Alaves 5-4 in extra time in the Uefa Cup final, having earlier in the competition scored a famous double against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico that carried the Reds through. He finished the season as Liverpool's top goalscorer with 24 in all competitions.
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