Harry Kane is one of the early candidates for this year’s Ballon d’Or (Image: FIFA, Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher believes Harry Kane is likely to miss out on this year’s Ballon d’Or because of his England teammates. He believes the prestigious annual award will be given to a player who has achieved outstanding results in one of the countries hosting the World Cup. Carragher suggests Lionel Messi will claim if Argentina successfully defend their title, but either Kylian Mbappé or Michael Oliseh will be the frontrunners if France win.
Nevertheless, experts maintain that Kane is currently the most deserving candidate for the 2026 honor. The striker scored the come-from-behind Round of 32 win against the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Bayern Munich and England, taking his tally to 72 goals this season and five in all competitions. But former England defender Carragher says his exceptional form during the World Cup year could ultimately backfire on his prospects for individual recognition.
He wrote in the Telegraph: “If Ballon d’Or votes were held now, Kane would be the deserved winner. His heroics for England against the Democratic Republic of the Congo would have netted him his 72nd goal of the season.”
“Only Lionel Messi has achieved such numbers recently. Even Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t achieved this much in one campaign.”
He added: “Based on the past 12 months, Kane should win the Ballon d’Or. Unfortunately, he probably won’t because in a World Cup year it’s inevitable that the Ballon d’Or goes to the winning team’s star player.”
“I would like to believe that England can still win, but there is nothing to support that opinion, especially after their recent performances.
“If Argentina retain the cup, Messi will win the Ballon d’Or. If France win, one of their key players will win the Ballon d’Or. Kane’s Bayern teammate Michael Oliseh is a strong candidate.”
“And by Kylian Mbappe’s standards, even if he had a frustrating year at the club, it will be forgotten when you measure it against his great performance at the World Cup.
“One of Paris Saint-Germain’s star players may be celebrating a personal honour, even though victory in the Champions League felt more like a team effort than the result of one individual’s outstanding contribution. Ousmane Dembele has enjoyed another outstanding season.”
Jamie Carragher believes Kane’s signing will be rejected because of England team-mates (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
“Kane’s goalscoring output exceeds them all. He’s performing at the same level as France’s best players and Messi, and he’s competing head-to-head in the Golden Boot race.”
Carragher said the record is correct that Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or in the months following his World Cup triumph with Argentina. However, such outcomes remain the exception rather than the norm in recent history.
Luka Modric lost in the 2018 final before breaking the decade-long stronghold of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, while Antoine Griezmann and Mbappé finished third and fourth respectively despite leading France to glory.
Messi and Ronaldo also failed to win the competition during a decade of exchanging honors with each other.
As a result, Messi became the first player in 17 years to win the Ballon d’Or after winning the World Cup, since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
However, at this point the defender became the representative of the world champions, having won the award three years in a row, following Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and Ronaldo in 2002.
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