Harry Kane believes this could be the year a Ballon d'Or finally comes his way, especially if England capture the World Cup, after a prolific campaign for Bayern Munich that brought major silverware and a striking set of individual numbers across domestic and European competitions.
Kane is heading into a third World Cup with Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions, who start Group L against Croatia on June 17, and the striker accepts that a deep run with England, combined with Bayern's titles, is likely to shape how voters view the Ballon d'Or race at the end of the year.
The 2025-26 season was Kane's most productive since joining Bayern Munich, as the forward scored 61 goals in 51 matches in all competitions following the conclusion of the 2025 Club World
Cup, finishing 19 goals ahead of any player from Europe's top five leagues, with Kylian Mbappe next on 42 strikes.
Underlying data also highlighted Kane's finishing level, as those 61 goals came from an expected goals figure of 44.46, giving an overperformance of +16.64, more than double the next-best player in Europe's major leagues, with Antoine Semenyo the closest challenger after beating Semenyo's xG by +7.25 across the same period.
Bayern's season still ended with mixed feelings because Paris Saint-Germain eliminated them in the Champions League semi-finals before going on to lift the trophy, yet Kane and teammates completed a domestic double by retaining the Bundesliga title and defeating Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final to secure both German trophies again.
Kane is aware that World Cup performance has often driven Ballon d'Or decisions, with four of the last seven awards handed out in World Cup years going to players who won that tournament, including Zinedine Zidane in 1998, Ronaldo Nazario in 2002, Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 and Lionel Messi in 2022-23, while Luka Modric claimed the 2018 prize after featuring for runners-up Croatia.
England's record in the Ballon d'Or vote includes four different winners, a total matched by Germany and Italy and only beaten by France with five, with Michael Owen the most recent English recipient in 2001, following Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979, Bobby Charlton in 1966 after England's World Cup triumph, and Stanley Matthews taking the inaugural award in 1956.
Discussing personal chances with L'Equipe, Kane said: "I'd probably say I’ll be up there, for sure. With the season I’ve had, with winning the trophies and the numbers I’ve reached, I think I’ll be in that conversation. If I win the World Cup on top of that.you would imagine it would be one of the England players. "
Kane added further context by saying: "When you look at some of the past winners of the Ballon d’Or, for sure it comes down to the big games, the big tournaments, and you add that on top of what I’ve achieved this year, I think I’ll be up there. "
Kane also expects competition from within Bayern and from Paris Saint-Germain, noting that Michael Olise is likely to feature in discussions after strong displays for Bayern, while several PSG players strengthened their cases by helping the French club defend their European title and reach another Champions League success.
Speaking about the wider field, Kane said: "When you look at who the current favourites are to win the Ballon d’Or, there is Michael, some of the players who were Champions League finalists, and me," Kane added. "So it’s been an incredible season, but I’m not the type of guy who wants to say I deserve the Ballon d’Or. I try and do my talking on the pitch. "
