Harry Kane has delivered the sort of season that makes even the most hardened football fans stop and stare. Sixty-one goals for Bayern Munich in the 2025/26 campaign. Three trophies — including the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. And now, with the World Cup on the horizon, he is in Florida with England and talking openly about winning the Ballon d'Or.
"I'd probably say I'll be up there for sure," Kane said when asked about football's most coveted individual prize. It was not said with arrogance — this is a man who has consistently been one of the most humble players in the game — but with the quiet confidence of someone who knows what he has produced.
The Numbers That Make the Case
Sixty-one goals in a single season is the kind of number that stops conversations. It puts Kane in the same bracket as Gerd Müller, Erling Haaland and the other elite strikers who have terrorised Bundesliga defences over the decades. Bayern fans were nervous when they signed him. They are no longer nervous.
The Ballon d'Or race, of course, will depend heavily on what happens at the World Cup in North America. And that is exactly the kind of stage Kane has been building towards his entire career.
The Record He Is Chasing
England's all-time goalscorer has his eyes on something else as well — Gary Lineker's record of ten goals at World Cups. Kane currently sits on eight. Two more, and he surpasses one of the most enduring records in English football history.
Lineker, who achieved his tally across two tournaments, is no doubt keeping a close eye on the situation. Whether Kane can chip in two more goals across England's World Cup run remains to be seen, but based on current form, betting against him feels unwise.
England's Hope in Florida
England's squad has assembled in Florida for pre-tournament preparations, and Kane has slotted right back into the group environment that he has captained for several years now. The armband sits easily on him at this point — he has worn it long enough that it is simply part of who he is as a footballer.
The World Cup cannot come soon enough. For Kane — and for England.
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