Harry Kane gives a cool reply to Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or claim after breaking Bundesliga records
Harry Kane has made Bundesliga history again, just after responding to Lamine Yamal’s recent comments about the 2026 Ballon d’Or. In a little over a month, the London Palladium will host the ceremony honoring the best footballers from around the world.
Kane, captain of England, is one of the top favorites to win this year. He replied to Yamal’s claims after making history on Friday by becoming the fastest player ever to reach 100 Bundesliga goals—doing it in only 98 games.
In the 2025/26 season, Kane had the best year of his career, scoring 73 goals and assisting eight times in 65 matches for Bayern Munich and England. That’s a goal every 71 minutes on average! His incredible scoring helped him win the European Golden Shoe, while Bayern took home the Bundesliga title, the DFB-Pokal, and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup. England also finished third in the World Cup, their best result since 1966.
Because of this, many fans and experts see Kane as the clear front-runner for the Ballon d’Or. But this doesn’t sit well with Barcelona star Yamal, who believes he and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe are the best players in the world.
Yamal told Movistar: “Who would I give the Ballon d’Or to? Honestly, I think only two players deserve it this year—Mbappe and me. Anyone watching the games knows that. I also think I deserve it because of the titles I won last season. That’s my view.”
His words sparked a lot of criticism online, with many fans pushing back against Yamal’s confidence and overlooking Kane’s achievements.
When Kane was asked about this, he kept it polite and said his results on the field will speak louder than any media talk. “I don’t want to talk much about myself. I let my game do the talking. Everyone’s different,” Kane said. “Lamine Yamal had a great season, Michael Olise too. The Ballon d’Or isn’t in my hands.”
On the other hand, Bayern’s chief Max Eberl was less kind. After Bayern’s 7-0 win over Union Berlin, he shot down Yamal’s claim, saying: “There has to be campaigning. The best players don’t need to campaign.”
In a full interview, Yamal also criticized how people see the Ballon d’Or these days. He said that when Messi and Ronaldo were playing, the award clearly went to the best players. But now, it’s seen as a prize for whoever has the most trophies.
Yamal explained: “People think a PSG player should win because they won the Champions League. But that trophy belongs to PSG as a team. If the world’s best player happens to be at PSG, then yes, the award should go to that player. But just scoring lots of goals usually earns you a top scorer award, not the Ballon d’Or.”
He added: “The best player should be the one who makes you watch the game and enjoy it—the one who stands out. When people focus on that again, the award will have the value it deserves.”
Yamal finished by saying he believes he should win this year’s award. Right now, Kane is the favorite, with Yamal and Mbappe close behind.
Stay tuned for more as the 2026 Ballon d’Or race heats up!