Sagnol warns something 'seriously wrong' with football if Olise misses Ballon d'Or

Former France international Willy Sagnol has issued a striking verdict on the 2025 Ballon d’Or race, declaring that Michael Olise is the best player in the world and that football would have “something seriously wrong” with it if the Bayern Munich winger does not claim the award.

“Michael Olise is the best in the world, far ahead of all other players,” Sagnol told Bild. “If he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or at the end of the year, something is seriously wrong with football.”

The comments place Olise ahead of his own club team-mate Harry Kane in the pecking order, despite the England captain enjoying one of the most prolific seasons of his career. Kane scored 66 goals in 56 games for Bayern Munich, helping the German club secure a second successive Bundesliga title, while also becoming England’s all-time World Cup goalscorer with strikes against Croatia and Panama.

Kane has emerged as a genuine contender to become the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001, and the striker himself believes a strong World Cup showing could prove decisive. Speaking to L’Equipe, Kane said: “I’d probably say I’ll be up there for sure. With the season I’ve had, I think with winning the three trophies, the numbers I’ve reached, I think I’ll be in that conversation.”

“If I win the World Cup on top of that, you would imagine it would be one of the England players. When you look at some of the past winners of the Ballon d’Or, for sure it comes down to the big games, the big tournaments, and you add that on top of what I’ve achieved this year, I think I’ll be up there.”

Olise, 24, has been equally influential at club level and caught the eye for France at the World Cup, underlining his status as one of the most exciting players in the game. The former Crystal Palace winger has formed a devastating partnership with Kane at Bayern, and Sagnol’s endorsement will only intensify the debate around who deserves the game’s most prestigious individual honour.

This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony is set to take place in London, chosen to honour Stanley Matthews — the inaugural winner of the award — and to mark the 70th anniversary of the prize.