Harry Kane is hoping to make history by becoming the first English player in 25 years to win the men’s Ballon d’Or.
Kane, although, is facing stiff competition from Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe.
The award ceremony, which will take place at the London Palladium on Monday, will be held in London for the first time in the history of the prestigious football prize.
Naija News reports that Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich and captains England, is in contention after an impressive season in which he scored 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country.
His goals helped Bayern Munich win the league and domestic cup double, strengthening his chances of claiming the award.
However, the striker’s hopes could be affected by Bayern’s exit in the Champions League semi-finals and England’s failure to go beyond the World Cup semi-finals in the United States.
The 33-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur forward admitted that winning the award would be a major achievement in his career.
“I’d love to be able to achieve something like that. It would be a massive milestone in my career,” Kane said.
The England captain also joked about the tension surrounding the announcement, saying his family was eager to know whether he would win.
“I think my wife would prefer to know and my family… it’s very stressful for everyone,” he added.
Only four English players have won the men’s Ballon d’Or since its introduction in 1956. They are Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen, who was the last Englishman to claim the honour in 2001.
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany believes Kane deserves recognition, particularly after finally winning major team trophies with the German club.
“What made Harry happy the most in recent years is that he finally won his first team trophies here,” Kompany said.
“Now if he can crown his career or his season with the Ballon d’Or, that would be deserved for the way he plays for the team.”
Kane’s biggest challengers include Yamal, who finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele in last year’s voting.
The 19-year-old Barcelona forward is widely regarded as one of football’s brightest young talents, but a hamstring injury brought his club season to an early end.
Despite Spain’s World Cup success, Yamal did not consistently produce his best individual performances during the tournament.
However, the Barcelona star remains confident that he deserves the award.
“For me, Mbappe and me, we’re the two best players in the world,” Yamal said last month.
“I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I would deserve it because of what I’ve won.”
Mbappe is also in the running after another season filled with personal achievements, although he failed to win major trophies with Real Madrid or France.
The 27-year-old finished as the top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup, despite not winning any of those competitions.
His 10 goals at the World Cup in North America took his career total in the tournament to 22, making him its all-time leading scorer.
Mbappe described the record as one of the biggest achievements of his career.
“Being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, overtaking all the great legends in the history of the sport in the most important tournament there is, is something that really stands out,” he said.
Asked who he would vote for, the France international gave a confident response.
“Who am I voting for? Myself,” he added.
Meanwhile, Alexia Putellas is the leading contender for the women’s Ballon d’Or, with the Barcelona star hoping to win the award for the third time.
Putellas previously claimed the honour in 2021 and 2022 and was part of the Barcelona team that won the Women’s Champions League last season.
She has since moved to London City Lionesses. Her former Barcelona teammate, Poland international Ewa Pajor, is considered her main challenger after scoring 11 goals in Barcelona’s Champions League-winning campaign.
The women’s award is also expected to mark the end of Aitana Bonmati’s three-year reign, with the midfielder having endured an injury-disrupted spell.
The Ballon d’Or was established by French magazine France Football, with England winger Stanley Matthews becoming the first winner in 1956.
For the men’s award, journalists representing the 100 highest-ranked countries in FIFA’s rankings are invited to select their top 10 players from a shortlist of 30 nominees.
Although the award does not come with a cash prize, winning it can bring players significant bonuses from their clubs and commercial partners, while also increasing their market value.
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