Kane open to knighthood after Ballon d'Or win but draws the line at 'Sir'

Harry Kane has welcomed the prospect of a knighthood after becoming the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001, but the Bayern Munich striker has one condition: nobody calls him ‘Sir’.

Speaking to BILD in the wake of Monday’s ceremony, Kane said he would not turn down the honour if it were offered. “I certainly wouldn’t say no — I really appreciate it,” he said. “If it came to that, it would be incredible and something I’d be incredibly proud of. But I don’t want to get too carried away with it right now.”

Asked how ‘Sir Harry Kane’ sounded, the 33-year-old was characteristically understated. “It sounds good, but it would feel kind of strange if everyone called me Sir — so for now, I’ll just stick with Harry.”

Kane’s 73-goal season, a standout World Cup campaign, and a Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich were enough to edge out Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal for the prize. Yamal, who collected the Kopa Trophy on the same evening, offered his congratulations on social media, writing: “Congratulations to the winners. My focus now returns to what’s important, to make FC Barcelona win again.” Mbappé did not publicly acknowledge Kane’s win, posting only a photograph of himself in formal attire from the ceremony on Instagram.

Kane said his immediate priority after the ceremony was returning home to his family. “I’m really looking forward to seeing them again and showing them the trophy,” he said. “I already know they’ll try to play with it or pick it up — and it’s quite heavy! I guess I’ll have to keep an eye on that this time.”

The England captain also reflected on the guard of honour his Bayern team-mates formed for him ahead of the DFB-Pokal fixture against Magdeburg. “It’s strange. I don’t usually enjoy that sort of thing,” he admitted. “When I went out to warm up and everyone was standing there applauding — I don’t know, it’s almost a little embarrassing. But of course, I realise it’s a big deal.”

Kane added that he intends to thank both his club and international colleagues with gifts for their contributions to the award. “Some of the guys have asked for watches or something similar — so I’ll have to come up with something nice for them, both at Bayern and with the England national team,” he said. “I’ll take care of it; I’ll definitely get everyone a nice present.”