Harry Kane talks 'crazy' Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and why he 'was never going to win Ballon d'Or' with Spurs
Published 21/03/2025 at 14:15 GMT
Harry Kane is England's all-time leading goalscorer, having found the back of the net 69 times. He is also the top scorer in the Bundesliga with 21 goals in 24 appearances for Bayern Munich this term, but suggested people have become "bored" with his goals. Amid his sensational form, Kane says that he can still win football's most coveted individual prize, the Ballon d'Or.
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Harry Kane hopes to follow in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d’Or in the latter stages of his illustrious career.
The Three Lions forward has been one of the most prolific strikers in Europe for a decade now, and is currently the top scorer in the Bundesliga having found the back of the net 21 times in 24 appearances for Bayern Munich.
However, the Ballon d’Or has eluded Kane, with the former Tottenham man failing to finish higher than 10th in the vote during his career despite being widely regarded as one of the most lethal finishers in Europe.
Can he still hope to land the award in the remainder of his career? "One hundred percent," Kane said.
"I felt that last season as well. I scored over 40 goals, but obviously, I was never going to win the Ballon d’Or because we didn’t win the team trophies.
"I felt like, probably at Spurs, no matter how many goals I scored, ultimately unless you win the title and the Champions League, you’re not going to be in those conversations.
"I finished 10th in the Ballon d’Or while at Spurs and that was as high as I probably could have finished.
"Those opportunities are there. That’s probably what I mean in terms of being respected more worldwide, on the bigger stage.
"For something like that, you have to win enough team trophies to be considered in that and probably score 40-odd goals, but that is a possibility this season.
"That is definitely something I would love to try to achieve."
Kane is England's all-time leading goalscorer, but he believes that some fans may be getting "bored" of his remarkable consistency at the top of European football.
Kane insists his time at the top table is not over yet, and that some people are just desperate for the next big thing.
"It's like when [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi were throwing these crazy numbers out there and the next season they'd score 40 goals instead of 50," he said.
"It was like they were having a bad season.
"People take it for granted and maybe a little bit with England as well.
"I've scored 69 goals and when you score against Albania or Latvia, or these teams, people just expect it so it's not spoken about so much.
"If I was 25 now and doing what I'm doing, the excitement around me would maybe be a little bit different to what it is now.
"That's part of where we are with football. I've seen it with some other players as they get into their 30s.
"Maybe people just get a little bit bored of what you do, but I'm certainly not bored.
"I'm excited for these games and the games ahead."
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Bayern are currently six points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after 26 games.
Kane has scored a remarkable 76 goals in 82 appearances since leaving Tottenham.
Despite his impressive goalscoring form, some in Germany believe that the former Spurs star has not made a big enough impact.
Kane admits it is hard to be criticised, but insists that he is his own harshest critic.
"It's hard, sometimes it motivates me," he added.
"Sometimes, to be honest, I try to stay away from it as much as I can.
"Probably, when I was young I listened to more than what I do now.
"Ultimately, I criticise myself more than anyone could do on the outside but... always use it as fuel to prove people wrong.
"In today's game, I feel like there's such a difference between a high and a low.
"You go from not scoring for a couple of games, to people saying he's not sharp enough... to scoring and you're a Ballon d'Or contender, and it's like, the difference is too high and too low.
"I know what I've done in my career and I feel like I have a lot of respect from a lot of football people out there and I've achieved a lot in my career."
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