Kane and Bayern’s Ballon d’Or push: ‘It can only be Harry’

With Harry Kane in the frame to win the Ballon d'Or this year, Adam Bate visits Germany to find out more about why claiming the award matters to Bayern Munich too. "Being a platform for a Ballon d'Or winner is something which counts more than statistics."

Harry Kane is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or. Having spent the past week talking to some of the key figures at Bayern Munich – as well as Kane himself – it is apparent that clinching this award is as important to the German club as it is the England captain.

Speaking to Christoph Freund, Bayern's sporting director, just before their win over Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, he was emphatic on the subject. "I think he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. He played an outstanding season."

Putting that question to Rouven Kasper, a member of Bayern's executive board, he went further. "It can only be Harry Kane. We can just give it to Harry." Bayern are pushing for this Ballon d'Or and - with a new deal on the table - want to be seen to be pushing for it.

Asking Kane about that after the win in Dortmund, he recognises it too. "I feel the love from this club, I know how much they appreciate me. Not just my goals but I think my all-round game and also me as a person in the changing room as well, the whole package."

Kane has never ranked higher than 10th in the Ballon d'Or voting but this is his best chance yet. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the outstanding player in the Champions League but missed the World Cup. Lamine Yamal lifted that trophy but had a quiet tournament.

In the absence of an obvious candidate, and with Kane having won the double with Bayern last season, sheer weight of numbers could work in his favour. He finished well clear of his rivals Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in winning the European Golden Shoe.

Kasper has all the facts. "Seventy-three goals in 64 games. A hat-trick in the cup final." It took just 78 matches for Kane to score 100 Bundesliga goals. "The shortest time in all the top five leagues in history." He scored six goals at the World Cup for England too.

"We think there is no way around him this year. When you just focus on statistics, there cannot be anybody else. It does not matter if somebody from Real Madrid wants their player to be there." That is a reference to the importance that Madrid tend to put on this prize.

The museum at the Bernabeu houses replicas of the Ballons d'Or won by their players and they infamously opted not to attend the ceremony when Vinicius Junior lost out to Rodri. Being where the game's most acclaimed players play is part of Madrid's identity.

In contrast, it is 45 years since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won the Ballon d'Or. No Bayern player has claimed the prize since. Robert Lewandowski was denied it in 2020 when no award was made due to the pandemic. A mere trinket? Dismissing it would be a mistake.

Because that is not the view within the club. "It means a lot also for Bayern Munich," said Freund, "when you have one of the best players in the world playing in your team.