Kane awaits Ballon d'Or verdict as London hosts ceremony for first time
Harry Kane heads into Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony as bookmakers' favourite, with the Bayern Munich forward admitting he would welcome advance knowledge of the result.
The Ballon d'Or will be handed out in London for the first time when Monday's ceremony takes place, with Harry Kane installed as bookmakers' favourite despite having no idea whether he has actually won it, according to Sky Sports Football and Yahoo Sports.
A 30-man shortlist for the award includes Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Inter Miami's Lionel Messi alongside Kane, who scored 61 goals in 51 club appearances last season and helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals, Yahoo Sports reported.
Victory would make the 33-year-old the first Englishman to win the prize since Michael Owen in 2001.
Speaking after Bayern Munich's Champions League fixture in midweek, Kane admitted he would prefer organisers broke with tradition and told him the outcome early. "From my point of view, of course, I'd love to know to just kind of see and not have to wait throughout the whole night. But it is their decision, I can't control that. We'll have to just enjoy it and try not to stress out too much," he said, quoted by Yahoo Sports.
France Football, which runs the award, altered its process in 2024 so winners are no longer told in advance after a leak that year led to a Real Madrid boycott once it emerged Vinicius Junior had lost out to Rodri.
Kane said he was trying to keep the speculation at arm's length in the build-up. "I try not to think about it. Obviously it is hard not to. There are always rumours flying around and you try to stay away from it," he said, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
His case for the award was underlined on Wednesday when he set up Alphonso Davies and converted a penalty in a 2-2 Champions League draw with Arsenal, taking his tally for the season to 10 goals in 11 appearances. The goal also extended his run of scoring in European matches to 10 straight games, leaving him one short of the competition record held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bayern's continental form has been patchier than their captain's individual numbers suggest, with one win and two draws from their opening Champions League league-phase fixtures leaving them down in 14th place.
Domestic business comes first, however, with Kane and his side away at third-placed Freiburg on Sunday as they look to protect top spot in the Bundesliga before he travels to London for Monday evening's 20:00 ceremony. "We have important games today and I know we have another important one on Sunday before the event on Monday so that's where my focus is," Kane said, according to Yahoo Sports. "Of course I am going to try and enjoy Monday night as much as possible."