Kane Wins the Ballon d'Or, Then Shares a Klassiker Draw

Harry Kane has won the men's Ballon d'Or, the award for the best player in the world, ending England's 25-year wait for a winner. The last English player to take it was Michael Owen in 2001. The Guardian reported the news on 2 November.

The celebrations started at his own club. Before a midweek German Cup match against Magdeburg, Bayern Munich's players formed a guard of honour, two lines of team-mates applauding him through. Before the next game, Bayern's starting lineup video showed Kane smiling and holding the golden trophy.

That next game was a Bundesliga derby against Borussia Dortmund, known as Der Klassiker, played on 1 November. It was a game that kept swinging. Serhou Guirassy scored to level it for Dortmund, and Dayot Upamecano put Bayern back in front. Kane had helped that goal, nodding the ball across the goal for Upamecano to finish.

Kane also had a difficult night in front of goal. He missed a penalty that would have made it 2-0, with the ball hitting the crossbar. Later he hit the post from close range. Those misses mattered because Dortmund were not finished. Fábio Silva scored an 89th-minute equaliser, and the match ended 2-2.

The draw leaves both clubs level at the top of the Bundesliga, the German league table. Bayern and Dortmund each have 18 points after the match, according to Tempo. A draw is a fair result for the two sides, but neither will feel it is quite enough.

For Bayern, the evening was a strange mix. Their best-known player was honoured all week, then spent the match missing chances he would normally put away. He still had a hand in one goal, and the team still has a point to show for the night.

Kane's award is the headline, and it is well earned. He is the first Englishman to win it since Owen, and the first player from his country to lift it in more than two decades. The derby showed the other side of a footballer's life, where one missed penalty can spoil a good week in a few minutes.