Kane Knighthood Hint From No 10 After First English Ballon d’Or in 25 Years

Downing Street has stopped short of endorsing a Kane knighthood, but its warm words after the England captain’s Ballon d’Or win have fuelled the speculation. Kane collected the award at the London Palladium on Monday night. He is the first Englishman to win it in 25 years, and the first since Michael Owen in 2001.

Asked on Tuesday whether Prime Minister Andy Burnham would like to see Kane become “Sir Harry”, his spokesperson called the win “an extraordinary achievement” and said Kane had “given an enormous amount to English football”. She added that she would not “pre-empt the honours process”. It was a careful answer, and one that left the door open.

Why a Kane knighthood is not Burnham’s call

The prime minister cannot simply hand out a knighthood. Ministers and government departments can put names to the honours committee, as can members of the public. The sport committee includes the broadcaster Sue Barker and Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation. Number 10’s reluctance to say more is partly about protecting that process.

Timing may also count against Kane. Footballers have often had to wait until retirement for a knighthood. Kane already holds an MBE, awarded after England reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. Sir David Beckham and Sir Gareth Southgate were both knighted last year, and before them the most recent football knight was Sir Kenny Dalglish.

A mixed record for England’s Ballon d’Or winners

Winning the Ballon d’Or has not guaranteed a knighthood. Sir Stanley Matthews won the inaugural award 70 years ago, and Sir Bobby Charlton also went on to be knighted. Owen and Kevin Keegan, however, never were. Kane is the fifth Englishman to win the award.

Some MPs want to see him join that list. Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, told The Standard she hoped Kane would join “the pantheon of England’s footballing knights”. Clive Efford, the Labour MP for Eltham and Chislehurst, said Kane should be honoured “when his career is over”. He also called it a “travesty” that Bobby Moore never received a knighthood.

The season behind the award

The case rests on a remarkable 2025-26. Kane, 33, scored 73 goals for club and country, won two trophies with Bayern Munich and led England to third place at the World Cup. That was enough to beat Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.

The ceremony itself was emotional. Brazil’s Ronaldo, one of Kane’s boyhood idols, read out his name. Kane spoke on stage for more than ten minutes and thanked his wife, Katie Goodland. “This is a trophy that we celebrate, not me,” he said, and he spoke of wanting to retain the award next year. England manager Thomas Tuchel said he had “run out of superlatives” for Kane’s performances. Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s award for a record-equalling third time.

What comes next

Downing Street also looked ahead. It hoped the award would be a prelude to a trophy for England “before too long”. That appears to be a nod to the 2028 European Championship, which England will co-host with Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

No formal recommendation has been announced, and nothing suggests one is imminent. For now the Kane knighthood remains a matter of public debate. Many supporters will want it to come after he has added the international trophy that has so far eluded him.

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File photo: Harry Kane (24685589756).jpg by enviro warrior from england, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.