Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has hailed Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane and feels he should win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, also claiming he could ultimately be England’s greatest ever footballer, writes Rant Sport’s Dejan Johal.
Kane’s incredible performance occurred after Bayern Munich played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at home against Arsenal in the Champions League, with him converting a penalty as well as assisting the other goal.
The two goal contributions take Kane’s tally to 81 goal contributions in 65 games, including an incredible 73 goals over the course of the year.
England captain Kane has had a simply stellar year for both club and country and looks the clear favourite to be rewarded with the award.
“Such a clever player”
Speaking after the game and analysing his performance, Gerrard told TNT Sport: “He’s such a clever player. He was picking up the ball in all kinds of strange areas.
“His vision, his passing range – you’re talking about things and just adding to how lethal he is in front of goal. You’re talking about an all-round world class player and I just hope that he gets the recognition he deserves.
“He’s arguably the best English player there’s ever been, and that’s the biggest compliment I can pay him.”
Ballon d’Or favourite
Kane currently sits at the top of the betting odds for the award, with other names like Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi following behind him.
He scored goals for fun over the course of the year in the Bundesliga, Champions League as well as six goals for England in the 2026 World Cup and leading his nation to a third-place finish.
Many people have questioned over the year whether he would win it as, despite the incredible numbers, he didn’t win the Champions League or World Cup.
However, with the award ceremony getting closer, it is now looking more and more clear that his phenomenal individual numbers will win him the golden ball.
Final thoughts on Kane
The former Manchester United and Bayern midfielder Owen Hargreaves also told TNT: “Honestly, Harry’s getting better. He put on a masterclass in terms of passing…but he’s just getting better and better.”
Year after year, Kane’s consistency, output and numbers can only be matched by very few strikers across multiple generations of the sport
However it feels like this year, he is finally going to be rewarded with the biggest prize an individual footballer can win and in doing so finally being called “The World’s Best Footballer”.
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