Harry Kane will return to London on Monday evening as one of the frontrunners to the coveted Ballon d'Or trophy.
Bayern Munich's leading marksman, following on from his best-ever goalscoring return for the German powerhouse and a domestic treble to show for it, could become the fourth individual to win the Ballon d'Or winner from England.
No Englishman has won it since Michael Owen in 2001. Kane didn't win the Champions League or the World Cup. Yet, he remains a cut above his fellow candidates.
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Rip-roaring club numbers
The 33-year-old brought his razor-sharp goalscoring acumen to the European stage when he struck a whopping 36 goals from 32 appearances in his maiden season in the Bundesliga.
Astonishingly, he plundered 61 goals across all competitions last term, 17 more than his first season's tally. Add his international goals to that, including but not limited to the World Cup where he led from the front with six goals, and that number surges to 73.
That puts him into an otherworldly bracket of statistics that only Lionel Messi could achieve.
Since the start of last season, no player comes close to his goal tally, with Patrick Schick's 22 from 35 matches played second to Kane's 40 from merely 38. With Europe's best creator Michael Olise (31 assists across all competitions) playing alongside him, it's rather easy, one would think.
But Kane defies the odds once again. He has outscored his expected goals in the German top-flight significantly in this period, from just 32.06 xG. The same from open play was nailed at 19.49, but Kane has found the back of the net on 24 occasions, punctuating his ruthlessness in front of goal.
The England captain continues to remain a victim of his own excellence. Behind his astonishing striking abilities is an all-round play-making forward - one of the rarest breeds in modern-day football.
Despite being a fox in the box, terrific in the air and brilliant with his movement and cross-shot finishing, Kane recorded seven combined assists in the Bundesliga and UCL last season, creating an impressive 25 big chances.
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How Ballon d'Or candidates are placed
As a result, Bayern Munich romped to the league title with 89 points. They also hammered VfB Stuttgart 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal final and went on to scoop the German Super Cup.
Lamine Yamal, 19, is a World Cup-winning teenager. That should boost his chances, as should his 41 goal contributions last season for FC Barcelona.
Kylian Mbappe, in contrast, was only behind Kane (0.98) for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.75). He finished the season without silverware for either Real Madrid or France, but topped the La Liga scoring charts with 25 goals as well as the World Cup with 10 strikes and four assists.
Notably, neither of the two, or anyone else, fired as many match-winning goals than Kane - with 10 to his credit.
And finally, if Argentina took home a back-to-back World Cup, there's little doubt Messi would have collected a jaw-dropping ninth Ballon d'Or, for he finished football's premier international tournament with 12 goal contributions. His 29 goals and 23 assists in the MLS will draw a few eyeballs, but without European silverware or the World Cup, even he might not pip any of Mbappe, Yamal or Kane.
Harry Kane to win the Ballon d'Or with LiveScore Bet: Ballon d'Or 2026 - Player to win award: Harry Kane
