Harry Kane was delighted to hear from Virat Kohli after winning the Ballon d'Or, placing the Indian cricket great alongside sporting icons David Beckham and Tom Brady. The Bayern striker also reflected on the overwhelming response to his achievement.Virat Kohli congratulated Harry Kane on Ballon D'oR win.
Harry Kane received congratulatory messages from some of the biggest names in sport after winning the Ballon d'Or, but few messages clearly stood out for the English centre-forward. The Bayern Munich star singled out Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli among the people he was particularly pleased to hear from after claiming football's biggest individual honour.Kane became the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the award, capping a remarkable season with Bayern Munich.
He finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal in the voting, with the ceremony taking place at the London Palladium on October 26.Kohli was quick to congratulate his friend after the announcement, praising the England captain for his resilience, hard work and honesty throughout his career. The former India captain also sent his best wishes to Kane and his family."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," Kohli wrote on X.
Kane was asked whether any of the messages he received left him starstruck. While he was reluctant to use that description, the Bayern forward made sure to include Kohli among the sporting greats who reached out to him."People like David Beckham, who was a big idol of mine, Tom Brady, Virat Kohli, a lot of sportspeople I really admire.
A good friend of mine, Ed Sheeran, who's at the top in the music industry, too. I had many, many messages, all of which I was extremely grateful for," Kane said.KANE OVERWHELMED BY RESPONSE The England captain admitted that the sheer volume of messages had taken him by surprise.
While he expected his family and friends to celebrate the achievement, the reaction from people outside his immediate circle made the occasion even more special."It's fine wanting it for yourself, and your friends and family want it, but the outpouring from social media, and people texting me who didn't even have my number and wanted it just to reach out, was overwhelming," he said.Kane added that the messages made him realise just how much the achievement meant to people beyond his own circle. He also stressed that he was grateful to everyone who had taken the time to congratulate him.KOHLI AND KANE'S MUTUAL ADMIRATIONThe connection between Kane and Kohli goes beyond a congratulatory exchange on social media.
The two first met in London in May 2019, bringing together two athletes who had established themselves as leaders of their respective national teams and among the biggest names in world sport.Their careers have followed different paths, but both have built reputations on consistency, high standards and performing under pressure.Kane's latest outing for Bayern Munich was a mixed one, as he assisted Dayot Upamecano in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund on October 31, but also missed a penalty and struck the post.Meanwhile, Kohli is set to return to the international spotlight as India begin their five-match ODI series against New Zealand in Auckland on November 4, with the two sporting icons continuing to command attention in their respective arenas.- Ends