New Delhi, Oct. 27 -- The Men's Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in world football. This year's ceremony was held in London to mark 70 years since Stanley Matthews, an Englishman from Stoke, won the very first Ballon d'Or in 1956. Few Britons have followed his example. It is 25 years since Michael Owen became the sixth British player to do so. On October 26th Harry Kane, England's captain, became the seventh.

The prize is well-deserved. Mr Kane stands out even among the superstars at Bayern Munich, a German club that have won their domestic league in nine of the last ten seasons. Watch him play and you will notice that he is much more than a goalscorer. But he is a goal machine. Mr Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern last...