Voters might face a familiar dilemma.
Rodri appears Kane’s strongest rival. The former Ballon d’Or winner was arguably Spain’s standout performer throughout the tournament, collecting the Golden Ball after helping his country secure a second World Cup title.
Lamine Yamal also added a World Cup winner’s medal to a season in which he helped Barcelona reclaim La Liga, although it was teenage team-mate Pau Cubarsi who claimed the Fifa Young Player Award after a series of outstanding performances.
Mbappe and Messi are also expected to feature prominently. Mbappe finished as the World Cup’s top scorer with 10 goals, while also claiming the Champions League Golden Boot and La Liga’s top scorer trophy, despite France falling short of the final and Real Madrid ending the season without a major honour. Messi, meanwhile, captained Argentina to a second successive World Cup final and at the age of 39 scored eight goals during the tournament.
Should Kane prevail, he would become only the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or after Matthews, Charlton, Keegan and Michael Owen. He would also become the first player representing a Bundesliga club to lift the trophy since Matthias Sammer in 1996.
History suggests the odds remain stacked against him but few players have entered a Ballon d’Or election with stronger individual credentials.
Voters must now decide if one of the most prolific goalscoring seasons of the modern era outweighs football’s biggest prizes, and if Kane can join one of the most exclusive groups in Ballon d’Or history.
