Kane 'amazed' by 73-goal season as Ballon d'Or favourite eyes first English winner since 2001

Harry Kane has said he is ‘pretty amazed’ by his own 73-goal season and acknowledged he is ‘happy to be in contention’ for the Ballon d’Or, where he is the bookmakers’ favourite ahead of the October ceremony.

The Bayern Munich striker’s tally last term eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo’s career-best single-season record of 69, set in 2011-12, and was surpassed only by Lionel Messi’s all-time mark of 82 from that same campaign. Should Kane claim the award, he would become the first Englishman to win it since Michael Owen in 2001, joining Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan as the only English recipients in the prize’s history.

“I’m extremely proud of the season I put up, for sure,” the 33-year-old said. “Not that long ago, I was that fan wanting to become a professional footballer and I am here now winning awards — and the Ballon d’Or is the same. Of course, now it is out of my hands. It is down to the voters and the people who decide it. The season I had was my best season by far and we’ll have to wait and see.”

Kane admitted the company his name now keeps still catches him off guard. “I grew up watching Messi and Ronaldo, the era of them just dominating and dominating,” he said. “These are numbers that I just thought were silly, which they are. They are the two greatest of our generation and arguably of all time. So 73 goals, even for me, I am pretty amazed by that.”

Despite the historic benchmark, Kane insisted his focus has already shifted to the new campaign. “I am already focused on this season now and the next season. Can I be better? Can I improve? But I also want to appreciate what I did.”

The England captain is yet to find the net in the Bundesliga this season, with Bayern opening their campaign with a 5-1 win over Stuttgart and a goalless draw against Schalke.