Ballon d’Or voting: Bayern star Kane makes an unusual decision

Harry Kane is among the top contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. While other candidates are publicly and aggressively staking their claim to the most prestigious individual award in world soccer, the FC Bayern striker has apparently made a conscious decision to take a different approach.

As reported by the website Touchline, citing sources close to Kane, the 33-year-old does not intend to engage in any targeted self-promotion leading up to the award ceremony on October 26. Instead of giving interviews or promoting himself publicly, his focus will be entirely on his upcoming matches with Bayern Munich.

According to the report, Kane wants his performances on the field to speak for themselves. This is also consistent with his previous public statements regarding the award.

Most recently, the Englishman commented on his own nomination with striking restraint: “I’m proud to be nominated alongside my teammates, but it’s not in my hands—it depends on the voters.”

Kane takes a different approach than Mbappé and Yamal

In this regard, Kane clearly differs from two of his most prominent rivals. Kylian Mbappé recently made no secret of how he rates his own season: “There isn’t a single player who had a better season than I did.”

Lamine Yamal is also publicly promoting his candidacy. “I think I deserved the Ballon d’Or this year,” the Barcelona star stated.

Given his performance last season, Kane could also put forward plenty of arguments for a more aggressive campaign. The Bayern Munich striker won the domestic double with the Munich club and reached the Champions League semifinals. With 36 Bundesliga goals, he also secured the European Golden Shoe.

Nevertheless, according to the report, the captain of the English national team is deliberately choosing not to put himself in the public spotlight.

Bayern is promoting its star striker

Photo: Getty Images

While Kane himself remains reserved, others at FC Bayern are taking the lead in promoting him. Most recently, CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen spoke out clearly in support of the striker.

“One thing is clear: Anyone talking about this year’s top individual awards can’t overlook Harry Kane. Harry is a global star without any airs and graces and one of the best strikers of the 21st century,” Dreesen told Sport BILD.

Vincent Kompany has also already made it clear publicly who he would like to see win the award. The Bayern coach named Kane and Michael Olise as his top picks.

With the Ballon d’Or ceremony just a few weeks away, an interesting dynamic is emerging. While Mbappé and Yamal are actively campaigning for themselves, Kane is deliberately staying out of the public spotlight.

Whether this strategy pays off in the end is up to the voters anyway. Until October 26, Kane apparently intends to make his case for the Ballon d’Or in only one way: through his performances for FC Bayern.