Harry Kane has received his second European Golden Shoe on Wednesday and immediately turned his attention to a bigger prize: the Ballon d’Or.
The Bayern Munich striker and England captain earned the award after scoring more goals than any other player in Europe’s top divisions last season. Kane won the same honor in 2023-24 during his first prolific season in Munich, but he said this year’s award “tasted even better than the first.”
The 33-year-old scored 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances last term, the third-highest single-season total in German top-flight history, and helped Bayern lift both the league title and the domestic cup. He added six goals at the World Cup, finishing as England’s top scorer at the tournament and pushing his career total to 14 World Cup goals. Across club and country, Kane scored 73 goals in total last season.
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Kane said he now hopes his form earns him football’s top individual prize.
“Obviously, that’s out of my control. I know, of course, there’s going to be a lot of talk about it from now until October when it’s announced,” he said. “Ultimately, I’ve done everything I can last season. It was my best season by far. I achieved a lot with the teams I was in.”
Bayern reached the Champions League semi-finals under Kane before Paris Saint-Germain, the eventual champions, eliminated them. England also advanced to the World Cup semi-finals with Kane leading the line, before losing 2-1 to Argentina.
Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the Golden Shoe more times than Kane. Messi claimed it six times with Barcelona, while Ronaldo won it three times at Real Madrid and once at Manchester United.
Kane declined to predict this year’s winner.
“That’s for you guys to debate and fans to debate,” he said. “That’s what makes the Ballon d’Or so special as well. Many players have had great seasons.”
The Ballon d’Or will be presented in London in late October.
Messi also holds the record for most Ballon d’Or wins, with eight, followed by Ronaldo with five. Recent winners include Ousmane Dembélé in 2025, Rodri in 2024, Messi in 2023, and Karim Benzema in 2022. Luka Modrić broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly in 2018, and no Englishman has won the award since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
