England captain Harry Kane has acknowledged that he is among the contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award.
The Bayern Munich striker made the admission during an interview with former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, which is set to air on HBO Max.
Kane said the Ballon d’Or remains one of football’s biggest talking points because of the constant debate over which player deserves the prestigious individual award.
The England international has been named among the leading contenders alongside Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal, Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Barcelona midfielder Rodri.
However, Kane believes the eventual winner will ultimately be determined by those casting their votes.
“The thing with football opinions – there are so many opinions, so many arguments for different players, and people love this player because ‘he’s fast’ and ‘he’s got great IQ’ and ‘his finishing is great’,” Kane said.
He added that the variety of opinions and debates was part of what made football unique.
“So I think that is what makes football special, all those debates, and the Ballon d’Or is definitely one of them. I’m happy that I am in contention, so we will have to wait and see,” he said.
