Can anyone dispute that Kane earned the 2026 Ballon d’Or after a season for the ages?
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Following his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, Kane has been in irresistible form for Bayern. He hit the ground running, netting 36 goals in his maiden Bundesliga campaign, more than any other player in their first season.
While he struck only 26 times – still enough to win the Torjägerkanone for a second season running – the following term, it earned him his first piece of major silverware as he and his teammates lifted the Meisterschale to make up for the previous season’s third-place finish.
Watch: Kane’s Ballon d’Or moment
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Defying odds, Kane silenced critics by netting 36 league goals, outscoring the combined totals of Deniz Undav and Serhou Guirassy.
His impact stretched beyond the Bundesliga. He scored in every DFB Cup round, delivering a hat‑trick in the final as Bayern clinched a domestic double, then added 14 goals in 13 Champions League matches, second only to Kylian Mbappé’s 15.
At the 2026 World Cup in North America, Kane joined a star‑studded field that included Mbappé, Messi, Haaland and Bellingham, tallying six goals and captaining England to a third‑place finish – their best result since 1966.
Kane struck six times for England at the 2026 World Cup. – IMAGO
Overall, he amassed 73 goals across club and country, a staggering total that ranks just behind Messi’s 82 in 2011/12 as the finest European season ever.
He set a slew of records: the quickest to 100 club goals in Europe’s top five leagues in just 104 games, and he eclipsed Gary Lineker to become England’s highest World Cup scorer with 14, placing him behind only four players overall.
His all‑round play improves with age. Beyond poising in the box, he often drops deep to link with teammates like Michael Olise, Luis Díaz for Bayern and Bellingham for England. In my view, Kane’s evolution sets a new benchmark for modern strikers.
Watch: Kane ‘number one’ in Ballon d’Or race – Díaz
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🗣 Kane ‘number one’ to win Ballon d’Or – Díaz–><!–>
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He managed five assists in the league, plus two more in the Champions League, but again, the figures are somewhat reductive. Look at Kane’s sublime pass for Díaz against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, or his all-encompassing performance versus Borussia Dortmund in the term’s first Klassiker – true examples of Kane’s talents.
Given the competition he is up against – Messi, Mbappé, Haaland, Lamine Yamal and Rodri are amongst the other front-runners for the award – there is much more required than an eye-catching goal tally. Fortunately for Kane, the list of qualities he possesses keeps on getting longer.
Watch: All Kane’s goals in 2025/26
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Teammate Declan Rice praised him before the ceremony, saying, “He’s the clear winner; his numbers speak for themselves. This year has been extraordinary.”
Rio Ferdinand summed it up: “Only Messi has ever outscored Kane in a season. You won the Golden Boot, led England at the World Cup – who else should claim the Ballon d’Or? Who else but Harry?” Will his dominance reshape how strikers are valued in future awards?