Harry Kane has welcomed Bayern Munich’s public backing before the Ballon d’Or ceremony on 26 October, with teammates joining the club’s social-media push for the England captain.
Key takeaways
- Kane said Bayern’s support for his Ballon d’Or candidacy makes him proud.
- The award will be presented in London on 26 October.
- The Bayern striker would become the first English Ballon d’Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
- Kane has swapped shirts with only Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
- He keeps his own match shirts from major personal milestones.
Bayern back their centre-forward
With a little over three weeks remaining before the ceremony, Bayern have enlisted several Kane teammates to speak in favour of the 33-year-old striker online. Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé have promoted their own cases, while Kane has had support from within his club.
“It makes me proud,” Kane said. “I really appreciate my teammates and the club standing behind me. We work extremely hard together, and I work as hard as I can for the team. Their support means a lot to me, and I can only thank them for it.”
Kane arrives in the discussion as a domestic double winner with Bayern. An English victory would end a long wait for the country: Owen remains the most recent recipient, while David Beckham, runner-up in 1999, and Rooney never won the prize.
Two shirts from opposing legends
Kane said he has visited enough countries, cities and stadiums during his career that his preferred souvenirs are usually his own shirts, particularly those worn on landmark occasions.
There are two exceptions. The former Tottenham forward has exchanged shirts with Ronaldo, when the Portuguese star was at Real Madrid, and with Rooney during his Manchester United years.
Rooney made 120 England appearances and scored 53 goals. Kane has moved beyond him as England’s leading scorer, with 87 goals in 123 international matches. The number of players who have kept a Kane shirt is likely far higher than the two items in his own collection.
