Kane hails 'incredible' Yamal after Barcelona teen's Ballon d'Or goals jibe

Harry Kane refused to be drawn into a war of words with Lamine Yamal on Friday, responding to the Barcelona forward’s Ballon d’Or comments with praise rather than provocation after scoring his 100th Bundesliga goal in Bayern Munich’s 7-0 demolition of Union Berlin.

Yamal, 19, had made headlines earlier in the week by arguing the Ballon d’Or should reward the best player in the world rather than “a player who has scored 80 goals” — a remark widely interpreted as a swipe at Kane, who netted 73 times for club and country across the 2025-26 season and is the odds-on favourite for the award.

Asked about the comments after the Union Berlin match, Kane was measured. “I don’t know how he meant it,” he said. “Yamal is an incredible player. He had a great season, as did many others — Mbappé, Michael Olise, Rodri. There are many candidates. Everyone has the right to express themselves however they want. That’s not up to me.”

The England captain added that he is relishing the attention surrounding the award without letting it distract him. “From my point of view, I’m actually enjoying it quite a lot. I’ll just wait and see what happens. I’ll keep doing my thing on the pitch.”

Bayern’s sporting board member Max Eberl was less restrained in his response to Yamal’s remarks. “The best players are those who don’t need a campaign,” Eberl said, before also putting forward team-mate Olise as a contender. “For me, Michael Olise is also one of the candidates for the Ballon d’Or. He is one of the best players in the world.”

The ceremony is scheduled for Monday, 26 October in London — a detail that carries personal significance for Kane, who grew up in the city. “Of course, having it take place in my hometown would make it even more special,” the 33-year-old told Marca. “It feels strange that the ceremony is being held there this year. We will have to wait and see what happens.”