Harry Kane has received early backing to clinch next year’s Ballon d’Or, as long as he satisfies two conditions.
Ousmane Dembele has barely had ca hance to make a space in his trophy cabinet for this year’s award, but already eyeballs are shifting to the next batch of candidates, as the favourites for the 2026 Ballon d'Or shape up.
With this being a World Cup year, there are domestic, European and international factors to consider this time around.
Harry Kane needs perfect year to go for the Ballon d’Or
There is little concern about Kane’s numbers – he already has 18 goals and three assists in 10 outings in all competitions for Bayern Munich – but as seasoned Ballon d’Or watchers will know, you tend to need silverware; insane attacking hauls are a given.
Former Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Steffen Freund backs the Englishman’s suitability for the top prize, but cautions that he’ll need more than another Bundesliga to his name.
“The key for everyone deciding the Ballon d'Or is gold, winning gold,” Freund told LeoVegas. “There’s always that factor of winning something personally, or something special with your team.
“So, to win the German league, it’s not considered something special.
“If you win the Premier League at all, it puts you higher on the list. At Bayern Munich, you have to win on top the Champions League or maybe you lose the final, and Harry scores a goal and is man of the match — that would make the difference.”
That gives England’s no.9 an uphill task, praying that his club and country pull through simultaneously to help his endeavour, but Freund believes things are shaping up nicely.
“I think next year can be Harry’s year – the World Cup with England, and Bayern Munich at the moment are looking really strong – best team in Germany, the only team that can score all the time from open play and look great. When a team is really compact and well organised, it’s difficult to get through and score.
“And Bayern can do that, it’s amazing to watch. Just imagine, if they have no injuries, and then players like Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies come back. No Champions League team wants to face them. If Harry stays fit, he’ll be unstoppable and then, he can win the Ballon d’Or.
“As a German, to win the league, first-time silverware, win the Golden Boot, I would put him in the top five.
“To win the Ballon d’Or, I understand the logic, you have to win international silverware. That’s the most important!”
