Kane has twice claimed the Bundesliga’s top scorer award in his initial seasons with Bayern.
Earlier this year, Harry Kane finally secured his first major trophy in his 15th professional season as Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title.
This achievement has fueled his ambition to pursue further accolades for both club and country, as well as personal recognition.
Despite showcasing exceptional form, the England striker was ranked only 13th in September’s 2025 Ballon d’Or awards, with his highest previous finish being 10th.
In the month following Paris St-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele being crowned the world’s best player in Paris, Kane seems to have elevated his performance to unprecedented heights.
The 32-year-old increased his season’s goal tally to 20 in 12 club appearances across all competitions as Bayern Munich defeated Club Brugge 4-0 in the Champions League.
Kane recognizes that sustaining his scoring streak, securing victory in Europe’s premier club tournament, and leading England to triumph at next summer’s World Cup would position him as a leading candidate for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
“I would love to win it for sure; it would be an accumulation of doing something great individually and as a team,” the former Tottenham Hotspur star stated earlier this month. “It would be almost the perfect season.”
The last English player to claim the coveted prize was Michael Owen in 2001, during his time with Liverpool. Only three others have achieved this honor: Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), and Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979).
Could Kane become the fifth, finally receiving recognition for his remarkable scoring achievements, or will the emerging talent of European football’s new generation stand in his way?
Kane & teenager Karl on target in Bayern rout
Considering his performance in his third season with Bayern, this might be his best opportunity yet.
In September, Kane became the fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues, achieving this feat in just 104 games, and has now scored 105 times in 108 matches.
No other player in Europe’s top five leagues has surpassed this goal tally since the start of the 2023-24 season.
Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo reached 20 goals in a season faster than Kane, who needed 17 and 13 games respectively. England’s all-time leading scorer is averaging a goal every 54 minutes.
Having already scored 12 times in seven Bundesliga appearances this term, he is on pace to score 58 goals.
Kane requires another 30 goals in the remaining 27 games to surpass Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 goals in a single Bundesliga season.
A similar pattern emerges in Europe. Since his Champions League debut for Bayern in September 2023, he has scored more goals (24) and been directly involved in more goals (24 goals and six assists) than any other player in the competition.
Only Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy scored more goals in his first 60 games in the competition (48).
However, Kane’s Ballon d’Or case extends beyond goals; his contribution on and off the ball when dropping deep from the forward line is unmatched by other elite goalscorers.
“Kane has reinvented the centre-forward game, as Manuel Neuer did with goalkeepers about a decade and a half ago,” wrote 1990 Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthaus in his column for Sky Germany., external
“I don’t see a better striker in the world right now. Not just because of his goals, but because of his versatility and the positions he plays.
“Kane also demonstrates qualities as a passer, dribbler, and tackler. He is simultaneously a goalscorer, playmaker, box-to-box player, and tackler.”
Kane’s ability to involve others in the game while maintaining his exceptional scoring record has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“Harry makes you better – he is not here just to finish, he will put you in front of the goal,” said his former Bayern teammate Kingsley Coman on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast earlier this year.
“I feel like he enjoys finding a really nice pass as much as scoring. What is amazing is that he can do both. He is one of the strikers who is easiest to play with.
“People say if your striker is selfish then there is a problem. But Harry is not selfish and he bangs in 40 goals or more a season.”
Following Jamal Musiala’s leg and ankle injury in the summer, which sidelined Bayern’s primary creative force, manager Vincent Kompany adjusted Kane’s role to grant him virtually unrestricted attacking freedom on the pitch.
“He is playing like three or four different players on the pitch at the same time, and that makes him so invaluable,” said Raphael Honigstein on the BBC Football Daily Euro Leagues podcast.
Mina Rzouki added: “His intellect is on another level, his sacrifice for the team is on another level.”
Kane, however, is not the only in-form striker vying for the title of the world’s best player.
Erling Haaland has scored 24 goals in 14 games for Manchester City and Norway this season, while Kylian Mbappe has 18 in 14 outings for Real Madrid and France.
Including his recent goals for England, Kane has 23 in 15.
While Haaland has scored in 12 consecutive matches and Mbappe’s recent run ended at 11, Matthaus believes neither contributes across the pitch quite like Kane.
“I’ve never seen Haaland and Mbappe slide in their own penalty area like Kane did in the 88th minute against [Borussia] Dortmund,” he wrote after Kane’s all-action performance in Bayern’s recent 2-1 win in Der Klassiker.
“I also don’t see Haaland and Mbappe make passes of 50 metres or more. I haven’t seen the chip shots that Kane can play from the other two.”
On the occasions Messi and Ronaldo haven’t won the Ballon d’Or, though, the winner tends to be someone from a team that has tasted success in the Champions League, Euros or World Cup.
“It is a team trophy that the best individual from that team wins,” admitted Kane.
“But if I keep doing what I am doing and we have a successful season with club and country then there is a chance to do that.”
With an impressive three wins out of three, Bayern have every chance in this season’s Champions League, while England qualified for the 2026 World Cup with six successive group wins, providing hope that this could be the time Kane is able to celebrate that “perfect season.”
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