Kohli addressed Kane as “my friend” in a post on X on Tuesday morning, hours after the Bayern Munich forward lifted the men’s Ballon d’Or at the London Palladium.
“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,” Kohli wrote, tagging Kane’s handle at the end.
The India batter, one of the most followed athletes on the planet, closed the message with “My best wishes always. Congratulations.”
A friendship across two sports
Kane and Kohli have exchanged public tributes before. In June 2025, Kane posted on Instagram to congratulate Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on their first IPL title, calling it an “unreal achievement”.
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Bellingham, Tuchel and Ribéry among well-wishers
The Ballon d’Or itself was the 70th edition of the France Football award, and Kane edged out Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé in second and Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal in third, Sky Sports reported.
Jude Bellingham called his England captain the “GOAT”, according to NBC Sports. England head coach Thomas Tuchel wrote on social media: “Congratulations Harry on a deserved Ballon d’Or!” Former Bayern team-mate Franck Ribéry praised Kane’s “humility, hard work and dedication”, Sportskeeda reported.
Son Heung-min, Kane’s old Tottenham strike partner, was among the former club-mates to send a message.
First English winner in 25 years
Kane became the first player from England to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001. He is the fifth English winner overall, joining Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.
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Kane scored 73 goals for club and country across the 2025-26 season. He is also Bayern Munich’s first foreign winner of the award and the club’s fourth laureate in total, 45 years after their last.
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