Sports07 September, 20262 min read
Kylian Mbappé And Harry Kane Target Ballon d’Or Glory As The Race Heats Up
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Harry Kane is the bookmakers' favourite for Ballon d’Or after a 73-goal season Kane would be the first English Ballon d’Or winner since 2001 if victorious
8 outlets told this the same way.
Kane and Mbappé contend
Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane are both positioning themselves for Ballon d’Or glory as the race heats up, with Mbappé hoping his World Cup exploits can “fire him to Ballon d’Or glory.” Mbappé netted 10 goals for France en route to fourth place this summer, and he also has 42 strikes in 44 games for Real Madrid, figures that Sports Illustrated says “automatically propel Mbappé right into the Ballon d’Or conversation.”
Harry Kane, meanwhile, is described as still leading the race after scoring 73 goals for club and country last season and helping England reach a third-place finish in the World Cup. Kane told TNT Sports, “I’m extremely proud of the season I put up, for sure,” and said the award is “down to the voters and the people who decide it.”
Quotes, odds, and voting
ESPN frames Kane as the bookmakers’ favourite to land the award in October, after he scored 73 goals for club and country last term, a record only bettered by Lionel Messi’s 82 in 2011-12.
In the same TNT Sports interview, Kane said, “It is a weird one because I am already focused on this season now and the next season,” while also adding, “Can I be better? Can I improve?”
The BBC adds that the Ballon d’Or shortlist is due to be announced on Tuesday, with an international jury of specialised journalists casting votes with one representative per country from the men’s top 100.
Sports Illustrated also lays out the timeline, saying “For the first time ever, the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held in London,” with the event scheduled for Oct. 26 and a 30-player shortlist revealed on Sept. 8.
What could decide it
The BBC argues that Kane’s case runs into the Ballon d’Or’s recent pattern, noting that “World Cup years, in particular, have followed a remarkably clear pattern” and that the prize is “rarely decided on goals alone.” It also says only four of the previous 19 Ballon d’Or winners failed to lift either the Champions League, World Cup, European Championship or Copa America during the year of their triumph, underscoring how major tournaments shape voting.
Kane’s season is still presented as unusually strong, with the BBC stating he scored 73 goals for club and country—61 for Bayern Munich and 12 for England—in a season in which Bayern won the Bundesliga. Sports Illustrated adds that Mbappé’s World Cup run and Golden Boot form, along with his Real Madrid scoring, have him “hoping to finally get his hands on the prize,” while Kane says the final outcome is “out of my hands” and “down to the voters.”