Harry Kane banks on Ballon d’Or award if London celebrates in May
On Monday at 9 p.m. CET the Ballon d’Or will be awarded in London, and one of the favourites for the coveted football award is FC Bayern striker Harry Kane, who could experience the accolade in his hometown for the first time. He hopes that his 61 goals for Munich and twelve strikes for England will convince the jury.
Kane's impressive record and role
The Englishman scored 61 goals for FC Bayern this season and added twelve for the national team, underscoring his role as a centre‑forward in an almost revolutionary style of modern football. In his statement he emphasized: “It could be a special evening,” and added that a win would be “great” because he “had a fantastic season last year and is extremely proud of it.”
At home the vote is a big matter for his family, as Kane himself admitted, and he wants to feel the support of his loved ones in London. Despite this personal motivation, he is still missing a major international trophy, which some of his rivals could use as an argument.
Competition in the race for the Ballon
With Bayern, Kane fell in the Champions League semi‑final against eventual winners Paris Saint‑Germain and finished only third at the World Cup after an early exit against Argentina. Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona is considered by bookmakers to be a bigger rival, while Rodri, who played for Manchester City until the summer and then for Barcelona, was plagued by injuries.
From the winning PSG side, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé are mentioned as possible candidates, but their individual performances are not judged as outstanding as Kane’s. Kylian Mbappé can match him in terms of goals, but he spent the season without a title with Real Madrid and France, which could diminish his chances. Lionel Messi, 39, and after a strong World Cup performance, could receive the award as a lifetime‑achievement honour, although his current MLS season is seen as an argument against him.
Historical significance and voting process
If Kane is chosen, he would be the first Bundesliga player since Matthias Sammer in 1996 to win the Ballon d’Or, and also the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001. His teammate Michael Olise could also finish among the top ten players. The jury, consisting of one representative from each of the top‑100 football nations, selects ten performers from the best 30 players and awards between 15 and one point; the votes were already cast in September by France Football.
In the women's category Alexia Putellas is the favourite, after moving from FC Barcelona to the London City Lionesses and having already won the award in 2021 and 2022. Other candidates are former Wolfsburg player Ewa Pajor (Barcelona) and Pernille Harder, who also plays for FC Bayern. Thus the race for the awards becomes an exciting duel both in the men's and women's categories.