The Lionesses big night out! Hannah Hampton stuns on the red carpet as she leads England’s Women in supporting Harry Kane at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London
Hannah Hampton led the way as the Lionesses dazzled on the red carpet at the Ballon d’Or, with England’s women’s team throwing their support behind Harry Kane.
Three Lions skipper Kane was crowned the new king of football at London’s Palladium on Monday night, with the Bayern Munich star seeing off Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal for the sport’s top prize.
Kane was supported by his wife Katie at the biggest night of the year, which saw singer Jorja Smith perform on stage, while Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner was also in attendance.
So too were England’s Lionesses, with goalkeeper Hampton stunning in a plunging deep V black gown as she joined her Chelsea team-mates Veerle Buurman, Manaka Matsukubo and Melvine Malar.
Hampton was nominated for women’s goalkeeper of the year, but finished fourth behind winner Cata Coll, runner up Ann-Katrin Berger and third-place Ayaka Yamashita.
Meanwhile. fellow England and Chelsea star Lucy Bronze wore a high neck burgundy rouched at the waist gown.
Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood, who is engaged to former footballer Jack O’Connell, made the top 30 women’s footballers in the world, placing 26th, and wore a black satin corset style dress with a matching clutch bag on the red carpet.
Hannah Hampton stunned at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Monday night
The Lionesses star wore a plunging V neck dress as she posed with her Chelsea team-mates
Arsenal star Alessia Russo placed in the top 10, finishing ninth, and donned a graceful high collar neckline full-length black gown.
The night was all about Kane, who became the first England player in 25 years to win football’s most prestigious individual prize – following in the footsteps of Michael Owen in 2001.
Kane, who scored 73 goals in all competitions last season, has been widely lauded following his London triumph, with Prince William leading tributes for the England captain.
‘Huge congratulations to Harry Kane on winning the Ballon d’Or!’ William wrote in a post on Instagram. ‘What a fantastic achievement and so deserved.
‘A brilliant captain, a remarkable player and someone who has given football fans across the world so many unforgettable moments.’
Kane and the Prince have worked together on mental health campaigns and in William’s role as official patron of the FA, which he moved into in July 2024 after serving as president for 18 years. And he was also by Kane’s side at one of his lowest moments when England lost the Euro 2024 final against Spain.
Monday was a joyous moment for the former Leytonstone-born player, who was joined on the red carpet at the Palladium by wife Kate. ‘Wow, wow, wow,’ he said as he stepped up to accept the trophy.
Alex Greenwood of Manchester City was ranked the 26th best women’s player on the planet
Lucy Bronze (left) and Alessia Russo (right) also hit the red carpet for the big awards night
‘I am almost speechless. Being here in London has made it extra special – it made it a good omen for me tonight. Thank you to everyone who voted for me.’
England manager Thomas Tuchel said Kane ‘deserved’ to be ‘formally recognised’ for his talent. With 125 caps, Kane is England’s record appearance-maker and his 91 goals in those games make him the national team’s all-time top goalscorer.
‘Congratulations Harry on a deserved Ballon D’Or!’ Tuchel said ‘I ran out of superlatives to describe your performances a long time ago, but I’m delighted to see that you have now been formally recognised by the football world.
‘To become the first Englishman to win this huge honour in 25 years makes it extra special and we are lucky to have you as our leader. I know you will enjoy this moment with your loved ones and then get back to doing what you do best – scoring goals and winning football matches.’
Former England players Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Gary Neville were among Kane’s well-wishers on Instagram while former Tottenham strike partner Heung-min Son wrote: ‘@harrykane deserved more then anyone huge congratulations my partner.’
The Wembley Arch was also lit up in Kane’s honour with a message of congratulations.
Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli was quick to say he was ‘really happy’ for Kane.
‘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,’ he wrote.
‘Really happy for you. God bless you and your family. They must all be very proud of you, as you would be of your own journey. My best wishes always. Congratulations.’
Ridgeway Rovers, the youth club where Kane started his career, posted: ‘One of our own! From everyone at Ridgeway Rovers we are so proud to see one of our own win the Ballon D’or. An incredible achievement from a true champion!’
England’s talisman has largely been seen as the most humble winner of the Ballon d’Or after years of posturing for the award by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Vinicius Jnr. And Kane himself wrote: ‘Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.’
