Bayern president prefers Kane to Olise for 2026 Ballon d'Or

Herbert Hainer, president of Bayern Munich, has publicly decided: if the 2026 Ballon d’Or were to reward a player from his club, it would be Harry Kane rather than Michael Olise.

Questioned by German daily Bild, the Bavarian executive did not shy away from taking a clear stance. “Michael and Harry both deserve it, but I would give it to Harry Kane. Michael Olise has many more years ahead of him to win the Ballon d’Or,” he declared. A deliberate position that places the English striker ahead of the French international in the club’s hierarchy of preferences.

Hainer justifies his choice by Kane’s experience and status as a world-class striker whose consistency at the highest level is a strong argument in the race for individual awards. The current season confirms the weight of the Englishman in Munich’s setup, where he remains one of Europe’s most decisive strikers.

For Olise, the president’s remark looks more like encouragement than a rebuke. At 24 years old, the attacking midfielder has established himself as a major element of Bayern since his arrival, and his room for improvement suggests future serious candidacies. Hainer himself acknowledges that the player developed in England deserves the award — simply not yet, in his view.

The debate around the 2026 Ballon d’Or remains wide open, and the Bayern president’s position is just one opinion among many. But coming from the leadership of the club that employs them both, it gives an indication of how Kane is perceived internally: as the leader, the man for the big occasions, the one the club trusts to carry its collective and individual ambitions.