Soham Mukherjee Tue, October 27, 2026 at 7:03 AM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 'Really happy for you': Virat Kohli congratulates Harry Kane as England football captain wins maiden Ballon d'Or originally appeared on Cricket News . Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
India ace Virat Kohli congratulated Harry Kane after the England captain won his first Ballon d'Or.
Kane became the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Kane scored 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England this season.
Virat Kohli was quick to say he was "really happy" for Harry Kane after the England captain finally got his hands on football's biggest individual prize.
Kane finished at the top of the voting, with Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal behind him. Yamal still went home with a trophy, as he picked up the men's young talent award for the third year in a row. Rodri, who won the main prize in 2024, ended up fourth, and Lionel Messi, the record eight-time winner, came in fifth.
The Indian batter described Kane as his friend and spoke about the striker's resilience, hard work and honesty over the years. He also sent his best wishes to Kane's family, who he felt must be very proud.
Kohli 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."
The award capped a remarkable 2025-26 campaign for the 33-year-old. He found the net 73 times in 65 appearances for club and country, and 61 of those goals came in 51 matches for Bayern.
He also finished as the top scorer in Europe and helped England reach third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Kane's 36 Bundesliga goals helped Bayern clinch the league title, and they finished 16 points clear of Borussia Dortmund. The club also won the DFB-Pokal and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, which completed a domestic treble.
In Europe, Kane added another 14 goals in 13 Champions League games, but Bayern's run ended in the semifinals, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain, the eventual champions.
Kohli has already stepped up his preparations for India's five-match ODI series against New Zealand. He was spotted sweating it out in a net session at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. He spent nearly two hours batting to prepare for the tricky and seam-friendly conditions in New Zealand.
He heads into the series on the back of an impressive showing in India's three-match ODI series against the West Indies in September. Kohli scored 168 runs in that series at an average of 84 and a strike rate of 155.55.
India and New Zealand will play five ODIs between November 4 and 15, 2026. The opening game takes place in Auckland, and it's followed by fixtures in Wellington and Hamilton, while the last two fixtures will be held in Mount Maunganui.
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Source: Sports
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