Harry Kane, who has had a sensational season with Bayern Munich and is currently playing for England at the World Cup, is one of the favorites to win this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or hopes could depend on how well England perform at the World Cup (Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher believes Harry Kane probably won’t win this year’s Ballon d’Or because of his England team-mates. He believes the annual award should go to the star player of the team that won the World Cup.
Carragher believes Lionel Messi will win if Argentina retains the title, while Kylian Mbappé or Michael Oliseh are favorites if France win. However, experts say Kane is currently the most deserving of the 2026 honor.
The striker scored two goals for Bayern Munich and England in the Round of 32 match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, taking his tally to five in this competition and taking his tally to 72 for Bayern Munich and England this season. But former England star Carragher said if his form coincided with the World Cup, it could ultimately hinder his chances of winning individual awards.
Carragher wrote in the Telegraph: “If the Ballon d’Or vote were held now, Kane would be the deserved winner. His heroics for England against the Democratic Republic of 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, in a World Cup year, it’s only natural that the Ballon d’Or is given to the winning team’s star player, so he probably won’t. I’d like to believe that England can still win the Ballon d’Or, but there’s nothing to support that opinion, especially after their recent performances.”
Kane continues his strong form for England ahead of the World Cup after scoring twice on Wednesday night, scoring five times in the competition (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
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“If Argentina retain this cup, Messi will win the Ballon d’Or. If France win this competition, one of their key men will win the Ballon d’Or. Kane’s Bayern teammate Michael Oliseh is a strong candidate, even though by Kylian Mbappe’s standards he has had a frustrating year at the club, but will be forgotten when compared to 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.”
“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 is right that Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or just months after leading Argentina to the World Cup. But that’s an outlier these days.
Luka Modric lost in the 2018 final and despite helping France win the title, Antoine Griezmann and Mbappe finished third and fourth respectively, ending a decade of dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. Messi and Ronaldo also never won a trophy in a decade of going back and forth.
Messi thus became the first player in 17 years to win the Ballon d’Or after Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 after a successful World Cup. But at the time, the defender became the third world champion to win the Ballon d’Or in three consecutive years, following Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and Ronaldo in 2002.
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