After his outstanding season last year, Harry Kane is among the contenders for the Ballon d’Or. While other candidates are more vocal about their ambitions, the Bayern star does not want to campaign for the award personally.
In an interview with Der Standard, Kane was asked about players like Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé, who are publicly promoting their chances of winning the prestigious award. The 33-year-old has no problem with that in principle, but he takes a different approach himself.
“Everyone has the right to act however they want in a situation like this. Obviously, the Ballon d’Or has become increasingly important in recent years, mainly because of social media, all the hype, and the many discussions surrounding it.”
“Definitely in the running for the title”
For Kane, publicly promoting himself simply isn’t his style. At the same time, the Englishman has no intention of downplaying his own achievements.
“From my perspective, it just isn’t in my nature to talk about myself in this context. I’m still very proud of what I’ve achieved. And fundamentally, I know that what I accomplished last year was just as good as anyone else’s.”
For Kane, there’s no question that he himself is among the serious contenders: “I think I’m definitely in the running for the title, without a doubt. Time will tell—the voters will vote for whoever they want.”
The Bayern striker certainly acknowledges that aggressive self-promotion can influence public discourse. However, Kane can’t say whether it will actually affect the voting itself.
Kane prefers to rely on praise from others
“Whether it has an impact—whether [andere Anwärter] gives more or fewer interviews—naturally affects public perception and the debate surrounding it, that’s for sure.”
As for the voters, however, Kane expects them to focus primarily on athletic performance: “I think voters will vote for whoever they believe deserves it, and they’ll have the information and statistics to make that decision.”
The timing of the Ballon d’Or vote is also less than ideal for the Bayern star. While the new season has long been underway, discussions continue to revolve around last season’s performances. Nevertheless, Kane makes no secret of how much the award would mean to him: “But from my perspective, it would be incredible to win it—I’d be extremely proud of it.”
Still, self-promotion isn’t his style. “From my perspective, it makes me prouder when others talk about me—whether it’s teammates, former players, or whoever it may be—people who compliment me on what I’ve achieved. I think that makes me prouder than if I try to talk about it myself.”
Kane’s message is clear: The Bayern star sees himself as a contender for the Ballon d’Or. But he wants to continue making his case primarily on the field.