There was a lovely moment at London’s Palladium theatre, with the clock creeping towards 11pm at the end of a startlingly shrill and bloated evening of never-ending awards and never ending award-related excitement.
He made it because he simply refused to go away, to stop working, honed instead the deeper skills in his quiver, the purity of his shooting, the range of his passing long and short Without ever peacocking around promoting his brand, without really trying he remains the most likable, authentic, role-model-ish modern-day England player.
The England captain spoke movingly on night of deserving winners and unintentional hilarity in London Well, there’s something new.
In many ways the world would be a better place if the Ballon d’Or was simply abolished, as an example to all who pore over reels and clips and the imagined qualities of their celebrity paramours.
There have been moments where it has been tempting to wonder if he’s gone far enough as England’s captain in the last few years, if his body and his talent deserve a little care.
Somehow the idea has always been out there that Kane is undeserving of these accolades, despite his own mildness and humility, his obvious team qualities, his relentless delivery of goals, effort, leadership.
Even Kane’s biggest advocates will rarely claim their man is one of a kind, sui generis, in the mode of the Ronaldo-Messi godhead.
And the Ballon d’Or is, let us be clear, a horrendous event, albeit a supremely popular horrendous event.
And yes the Ballon d’Or is a fundamentally silly thing on its own terms.