Harry Kane among favourites for Ballon d’Or 2026 after 73-goal 2025-26 season
Harry Kane, 33, is listed among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or 2026 following his 2025-26 campaign with Bayern Munich and his performances for England. He is named alongside Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal as contenders for the award.
Kane finished the 2025-26 season with 73 goals for club and country combined. A number of his teammates and players from other clubs have backed him for the honour, but the article notes the ultimate outcome will be decided by vote totals. The piece also states that the last-ever Bundesliga player to clinch the Ballon d’Or was Matthias Sammer of Borussia Dortmund in 1996.
At club level Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich across all competitions and contributed to Bayern winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. In the Bundesliga he finished as the top scorer with 36 goals, the article says this was his third consecutive season as the league’s leading scorer.
In the UEFA Champions League Kane scored 14 goals in 13 appearances as Bayern reached the semifinals, where they lost to PSG. The article describes those figures as part of the striker’s strong European campaign.
Internationally, Kane added 12 goals for England during the season. As captain at the FIFA World Cup 2026 he scored six goals and the Three Lions finished third, the article notes this was England’s best World Cup result since winning the tournament in 1966.
The article records that Kane won the European Golden Shoe for the season. It also states his Ballon d’Or case was strengthened by his World Cup performances for England.
Regarding his playing profile, the piece says Kane can drop deep, link up with midfielders, create chances and dictate attacking moves; he frequently takes part in the build-up, creates space for team-mates and showed a noticeable work rate across the field during the 2025-26 campaign. The article also mentions Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Despite the statistical and team achievements detailed, the article concludes that winning the Ballon d’Or will come down to who receives the most votes.