At the Palladium Theatre in London, Harry Kane received the award for the world’s best player from none other than Ronaldo Nazário.

The 50-year-old Brazilian attacking legend won the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1997 and 2002.

Smiles, cheers and applause filled the theatre as Ronaldo presented the trophy to Kane, aged 33. On his eighth nomination for the award, the Englishman finally came out on top, almost a decade after his first nomination.

Take a look at Harry Kane’s positions in the Ballon d’Or rankings throughout his career:

  • 2017 – 10th place

  • 2018 – 10th place

  • 2019 – Did not feature among the 30 nominees

  • 2020 – No award was presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic

  • 2021 – 23rd place

  • 2022 – 21st place

  • 2023 – 19th place

  • 2024 – 10th place

  • 2025 – 13th place

  • 2026 – 1st place

Winning the Ballon d’Or wasn’t the only reason Kane had to celebrate last night. The Englishman also took the Top Scorer of the Year award, having scored 73 goals in the 2025–26 season. It was his second win in this category, repeating his feat from 2024.

A meeting of two legends

During the press conference following the ceremony, Kane, who has become one of Bayern Munich’s key players since joining the club in 2023, from Tottenham Hotspur, spoke about his admiration for R9 and explained why receiving the trophy from the Brazilian made the evening even more special: “I mean, what a legend! Ronaldo was one of my idols when I was growing up, so having him be the one to present me with the award makes it all feel even more like a dream come true.” (DAZN)

“What a legend! Ronaldo was one of my idols when I was growing up.” – Harry Kane

To further demonstrate his admiration for the Brazilian legend, Kane later posted a photo on Instagram of the moment Ronaldo presented him with the trophy, accompanied by a short but meaningful caption: ‘From a legend’. (Harry Kane – Instagram)

This admiration goes back a long way. A few years ago, Kane was asked to choose his favourite strikers in a series of comparisons with some of the greatest names in football history. The list included stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Luis Suárez, Andriy Shevchenko, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Samuel Eto’o, George Weah, Alessandro Del Piero, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Agüero and even himself.

In every comparison, Kane chose Ronaldo Nazário. (GOAL)

The choice says a lot about the way Kane views football. One of the most feared strikers of his generation, the Englishman considers the Brazilian to be the embodiment of the perfect centre-forward – someone who combines talent, skill and the ability to decide matches.

From recognition to legacy

The statistics help to put the careers of the two strikers into perspective. Ronaldo scored 414 goals throughout his career, whilst Kane has found the net 543 times. Although the figures alone do not tell the whole story of two players from different eras, they do demonstrate the Englishman’s impressive goal-scoring ability.

Now, at the age of 33 and with the Ballon d’Or finally in his hands, Kane has yet another milestone to add to an extraordinary career. And receiving the award from one of his greatest idols made the achievement all the more special.

Ronaldo has already made his mark on history as one of the greatest centre-forwards of all time. Kane, for his part, continues to build his own legacy. Last night, at the Palladium Theatre, their paths crossed in a symbolic moment: one legend presented the trophy to another generation of stars, who now have the opportunity to write their own chapter in the history of football.