Harry Kane is the frontrunner to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday night, and victory would make him the first Englishman to claim the award in 25 years. Since leaving Tottenham for Bayern Munich three years ago in a deal worth around £100million, the striker has gone from strength to strength. He came through Spurs’ academy to become the club’s all-time leading scorer, with 280 goals in 435 appearances.
His 73 goals for club and country across the 2025-26 season have made him the man to beat, though Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal are also in the running. France Football first created the award in 1956, and while the ceremony has usually been held in Paris, this year it moves to the Palladium Theatre to mark the 70th anniversary. Only four Englishmen have won it so far, and Kane wants to become the fifth.
After scoring in Bayern’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Wednesday, the London-born England captain admitted he tries to put the award out of his mind but finds that hard, with rumours constantly circulating. He added that his wife and family would probably like to know the outcome sooner rather than later.
Kane has stayed coy about his chances of joining Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen as a winner, but plenty of big names in the game are backing him. England boss Thomas Tuchel is among them, and Gary Lineker said earlier this month that Kane’s achievements have been remarkable and that he would be a deserving winner, though he sees it as a two-horse race between Kane and Yamal.
Yamal helped Spain win the World Cup this summer and starred in Barcelona’s La Liga triumph. Kane, meanwhile, led Bayern to the Bundesliga and German Cup and a Champions League semi-final, and scored six goals as England finished third at the World Cup.
His old Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is also firmly in his corner. He said he hopes Kane wins, believes it would be a fitting reward for his whole career, and feels this is simply Kane’s time.
