“Has to do with magic and looks”: Germany World Cup winner has a hunch about the Ballon d’Or

Germany World Cup winner Christoph Kramer does not believe Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane will win the Ballon d’Or.

Christoph Kramer spoke as a pundit on Prime Video during Bayern Munich's Champions League match at Viking Stavanger. Kane is among the leading contenders for the world's best footballer award, but faces stiff competition from Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid).

For the Ballon d'Or, 100 journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA world rankings can vote to decide who receives the Golden Ball. Is that a disadvantage for Kane? "I think if all the coaches in the world voted, it would be Harry Kane," Kramer said. On Tuesday, the Englishman scored twice to ensure Bayern Munich took at least a point from a 3-3 draw in Norway.

Kramer, though, wanted his comment understood as nothing but a slight to the media. "Journalists obviously know about football too. As a coach, Harry Kane is the player you would most want in your team. In my opinion, he is worth more to Bayern than any other player is to their team," the former midfielder explained.

Who does Christoph Kramer think will win the Ballon d'Or?

Despite his admiration for Kane, Kramer does not expect the media vote to go his way. The winner will be honoured at a gala in Paris on 26 October. "Because it also has to do with magic and looks, I'll say Lamine Yamal," he said, naming the player he believes will win it in the end.

Ballon d'Or voting regularly sparks controversy: Franck Ribery finished only third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2013, despite winning the treble with Bayern Munich. In 2024, all Real Madrid representatives boycotted the event after unofficially learning that Vinicius Junior had been voted into second place behind Manchester City's Rodri.