Former France international Emmanuel Petit believes Harry Kane’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or are over after the England captain “disappeared” at the World Cup.
England finished third at this summer’s tournament – after being beaten in the semi-final by Argentina, they then earned a thrilling 6-4 victory over France to take the bronze medal.
Kane scored six goals at the tournament, with his final goal serving as the winner in the round of 16 against Mexico.
The 32-year-old had a stellar season for Bayern Munich heading into the tournament, netting 61 goals from 44.4 expected goals (xG) in all competitions (excluding the Club World Cup).
For club and country between August 2025 and July 2026, Kane hit the back of the net 73 times in 65 appearances, averaging a goal every 71 minutes.
However, Petit accused Kane of not turning up in the big games for Bayern in the Champions League or England in the World Cup, claiming that should rule him out of the running for a first Ballon d’Or.
“Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or chances are over,” Petit, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, told Mr Gamble, as quoted by TNT Sports.
“If you base that only on the German league, okay, no problem at all.
“But in the Champions League and with the national team, when it started to be really hard to win, I think he disappeared.
“I can’t point the finger at him because he tried everything he could, and he scored many goals, but he didn’t have an impact in the big games, just like in the Champions League. So, I think there are a few names ahead of him.”
Kane made his 121st appearance in all competitions for England – the outright most of any outfield player for the Three Lions – in the semi-final against Argentina but managed just one off-target shot worth 0.02 xG in that match.
He also did not have a single touch in the opposition box against the Albiceleste, only managing 26 overall.
In the Champions League for Bayern in 2025-26, Kane netted 14 goals, with only Kylian Mbappe (15) scoring more than him in the competition.
