2026 Ballon d’Or: How Harry Kane’s Campaign Compares to Rodri, Lamine Yamal

England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane admitted it would be “amazing” to win the Ballon d’Or, but the vote is ultimately out of his “control.”

Kane remains one of the favorites to take home soccer’s most prestigious individual prize for a spectacular 2025–26 season. The No. 9 scored a staggering 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga Golden Boot and the European Golden Boot.

He then put together a sensational campaign for England at the 2026 World Cup, finding the back of the net six times in seven appearances—a tally that no doubt would have been higher if he played in the defensively-lax third-place playoff against France.

Harry Kane led England to a third-place finish at the World Cup this summer. | Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Despite all the buzz surrounding his Ballon d’Or hopes, Kane is keeping a level head. “I am extremely proud to put in the season that I did last year,” he said. “The Ballon d’Or is at big as it gets from an individual point of view.

“The Ballon d’Or is not in my hands. I’ve done what I can do in terms of putting in performances. It's now down to votes, and other people, and the media, and stuff I can’t control. So we’ll see what happens.

“Obviously it would be amazing if it were to happen. But it’s two or three months until that is decided so it’s not something that's at the front of my mind right now.”

What’s Hurting Kane’s Ballon d’Or Chances

Kane’s numbers speak for themselves. He had a prolific individual campaign, scoring 73 goals last season for club and country. He also helped Bayern Munich claim Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal glory, and then led England to its best World Cup finish since 1966.

Yet there are two holes on his impressive résumé: the Champions League and the World Cup. Had Kane lifted either, he likely would be a shoo-in for the Ballon d’Or. Except Bayern Munich could not get past defending cup holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals and England collapsed against Argentina at the same stage of the World Cup.

Now, losing the Champions League is no longer a massive stain on a Ballon d’Or campaign; Rodri took home the prize in 2024 over Vinícius Júnior, who helped Real Madrid win Europe’s premier club competition that season.

The difference, though, is that Rodri led Spain to glory at the 2024 European Championship. His impact for his country outweighed his Champions League disappointment.

Kane does not have an international trophy to help his case like Rodri did. To make matters worse for the England striker, his biggest competitors for the 2026 Ballon d’Or do.

Spain Stars Come With the Silverware

Alongside Kane, Lamine Yamal and Rodri are Ballon d’Or favorites. The two superstars were vital to Spain’s World Cup triumph this summer, especially Rodri who took home the Golden Ball for his contributions.

Working against the midfielder was his injury-riddled 2025–26 campaign with Manchester City; Rodri was sidelined five different times due to various fitness struggles. The Cityzens also failed to win the Premier League or the Champions League, but they took home the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.

Yamal comes with the better résumé than his fellow countryman. Even though the winger’s World Cup numbers were not very impressive—he scored just one goal in eight appearances—he was at the heart of La Roja’s success in the final third time and time again, even if it just meant he was pulling defenders to the right flank, leaving gaps open for his teammates to exploit.

The teenage sensation also helped Barcelona successfully defend their La Liga and Spanish Super Cup titles last season, registering 41 goal contributions along the way. Combined with the World Cup title now in his trophy cabinet, Yamal has the edge over Kane on paper.

But as Kane said, it will ultimately come down to the voters and what criteria they deem worthy when crowning the best male player of 2025–26.

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