Battle for the Ballon d'Or: Harry Kane responds to jibes from Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe

Bayern Munich’s superstar Harry Kane reacted calmly to the bold statements by Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé five weeks before the Ballon d’Or is awarded.

"Everyone has the right to express themselves in the way they want. That is not my responsibility," said the Englishman: "I do not really like talking about myself, I prefer to let my actions on the pitch do the talking."

His actions are certainly impressive. In Bayern Munich's comfortable 7-0 win against Union Berlin on Friday, Kane scored his 100th and 101st Bundesliga goals. He needed only 98 matches to break the 100-goal mark. No one had ever done it quicker.

Kane is regarded as one of the top favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded in London on 26 October. "I am just waiting and seeing what happens," he said: "I will simply keep doing my thing on the pitch." Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl also commented on the matter.

Yamal and Mbappe recently laid claim to the Ballon d'Or

Spain's world champion Yamal (FC Barcelona) and France superstar Mbappé (Real Madrid) had already laid claim to the Ballon d’Or and publicly promoted their own cases. Kane stopped short of passing judgement, but did praise his rivals. "Yamal is an incredible player. He had a great season, just like many others," said the 33-year-old: "Mbappé, Michael (Olise), Rodri. There are many candidates."

Unlike Yamal or Rodri, who became world champions in the summer, Kane missed out on an international title. With Bayern Munich, he was knocked out in the Champions League semi-finals by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, while at the World Cup he finished third with England.