Kohli congratulates Harry Kane for winning Ballon d'Or 'for your resilience, hard work and honesty'

India batter Virat Kohli has shared a heartwarming post for England football skipper Harry Kane after the latter won his maiden Ballon d'Or on Monday (Oct 26). Kane became the first English player in 25 years (since Michael Owen in 2001) to win the prestigious award given to the best footballer of the year. Kane won the award after a bumper season with German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, for which he scored 61 goals in 51 games across competitions. Kane, while leading England in the FIFA World Cup 2026, however, suffered a heartbreak as they lost against Argentina in the semi-finals. He scored six goals in the tournament during England's run to the semis.

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Kohli congratulates Kane on winning Ballon d'Or

The Ballon d'Or award ceremony was held in London, England, making it a monumental milestone for him. Congratulating the English football skipper, Kohli, the former India captain, wrote on X: "Harry my friend, you deserve every bit of this award for your resilience, hard work and honesty with which you’ve carried yourself through all these years playing football at the top. Really happy for you. God bless you and your family. They must all be very proud of you as you would be of your own journey. My best wishes always. Congratulations."

How Kane won Ballon d'Or

Kane pipped France captain Kylian Mbappe and Spanish teen sensation Lamine Yamal. Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern in all competitions in the previous season and 12 in internationals for England to take his tally to 73 goals.

Among his 61 goals for Bayern, Kane scored 36 in the Bundesliga, a feat achieved for the second time, 10 in the DFB-Pokal, and 14 in the Champions League - tying with Mbappe's 14 for Real Madrid. Kane's 61 goals for Bayern were also the highest by a player in Europe's top 5 leagues - Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1.