Midweek Warm-up: The best man won the Ballon d’Or; DFB-Pokal predictions; and MORE!

(Photo by Jeff Spicer - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images) | UEFA via Getty Images Somewhere, the football gods finally decided to stop messing with Harry Kane. After years of jokes, trophyless seasons, near misses, and enough bad luck to make a Tottenham Hotspur supporter consider taking up another sport,

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What is the story about?

Somewhere, the football gods finally decided to stop messing with Harry Kane.

After years of jokes, trophyless seasons, near misses, and enough bad luck to make a Tottenham Hotspur supporter consider taking up another sport, the Bayern Munich striker is officially the best player in the world. Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or — and honestly, not many people thought we’d ever get to write that sentence.

Let’s be honest, there was a time when Kane winning the Ballon d’Or seemed about as likely

as Tottenham winning the Champions League. The English striker was regularly among Europe’s most prolific goalscorers, but individual recognition and team silverware always seemed to find a way to elude him. Kane was the guy who scored 30 goals and somehow still ended up explaining another disappointing season.

Then came Bayern Munich.

Kane’s move to Germany changed everything. The goals kept coming, the trophies finally followed, and the narrative surrounding his career underwent one spectacular transformation. In the 2025/26 campaign, Kane scored an astonishing 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country, helped Bayern secure a domestic treble, and captained England to a third-place finish at the World Cup. Apparently, scoring goals for fun wasn’t enough anymore. Kane decided to collect trophies, too.

The 33-year-old beat Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to the Ballon d‘Or, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. He is also just the fifth Englishman ever to claim football’s most prestigious individual honor.

And perhaps the funniest part of this entire story? Kane spent years being the punchline in conversations about players who couldn’t win anything. Now, he has the Ballon d’Or, a collection of silverware, and an argument as the best striker of his generation.

The best man won. No asterisks, no excuses, and absolutely no need to apologize for celebrating this one.

Harry Kane finally has his moment. What a ridiculous, wonderful way to be alive in 2026.

Song of the Week: “Your Shadow” by The Exploding Hearts

Released in 2006, this song was an enigma and sounded like 80s punk. However, the story surrounding the band is tragic, which is why you might not have much of a frame of reference.

In 2003, lead vocalist / guitarist Adam Cox, bassist Matt Fitzgerald, guitarist Terry Six, and drummer Jeremy Gage, along with manager Rachell Ramos, were in a horrific car accident. Cox, Fitzgerald, and Gage all passed away, and the group obviously disbanded. After a long hiatus, Six started a revival on his own back in 2023.

This song, though, captured the 80s punk sound and was always one I enjoyed:

Entertainment Rundown

I’m still working my way through my unexpected jaunt through Tires, so no updates at this point.

Predictions

Any game is a threat to Bayern Munich — even FC Magdeburg.

Bayern Munich is tired, banged up, and maybe a little distracted (the Ballon d’Or ceremony threw a little more activity into an already busy period). So, yes, this is a game that could present some danger.

However, Bayern Munich will be at home and is riding a wave of resilience that we have not seen in some time at the Allianz Arena. With so many personnel issues and the excitement of the Ballon d’Or, it would be easy for Bayern Munich to get Holstein Kiel’d. Heck, FC Magdeburg did exactly the same thing back in 2000 for one of the competition’s all-time biggest upsets.

This time? Not so fast.

The game might not always look easy to the viewer, but Bayern Munich is going to show up determined once again. The group is playing with a purpose now and playing for something — that will result in a convincing win.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 5-0 FC Magdeburg

Other DFB-Pokal predictions include:

Tuesday, October 27, 2026