Nasri dismisses Kane's Ballon d'Or as statistics-driven despite record-breaking Bayern season

Harry Kane claimed the Ballon d’Or on Monday evening at a ceremony in London, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 1998 — but not everyone was convinced the Bayern Munich striker deserved the honour.

Former Manchester City and France midfielder Samir Nasri was among the dissenters, offering a pointed assessment on Canal+. “Harry Kane, Ballon d’Or… OK, the statistics made the difference,” Nasri said. “He’s a fantastic player with so many qualities. But he’s never been the player who carried his team somewhere or made his team win in the very big matches. There’s often a slight weakness. But he’s an extraordinary player.” Asked whether he was simply not excited by Kane’s win, Nasri was blunt: “No, that’s an understatement.”

The criticism arrives against a backdrop of genuinely historic numbers. Kane scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern last season — the most by any player in a single campaign in the German club’s history. Adding his England appearances, he finished the season with 73 goals and eight assists across 65 matches, leading Bayern to a domestic double and the Champions League semi-finals while spearheading England’s run to the last four at the World Cup.

Nasri’s argument does find some footing in the knockout-stage record: Bayern were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals, and England fell at the same stage of the World Cup against Argentina. Kane did not score in either of those decisive defeats.

Kane beat Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to the award. France legend Thierry Henry, one of the ceremony’s presenters, offered a warmer verdict. “I would always back my fellow Frenchmen but I have to say something about Harry Kane,” Henry said. “I have seen him since the beginning. He had to suffer really hard to achieve what he has achieved. A worthy winner, well done.”

Kane himself reflected on a career path that was far from straightforward. “Not many people would have thought it, and maybe even I wouldn’t have thought I’d be this far,” he said. “I had to go through many ups and downs, especially early in my career. I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now. I had to bide my time and work hard — a lot of times it was me against my own mind. I had to show self-belief and determination.”