Is a historic season not enough? PSG star ignores Bayern striker Kane | OneFootball

Harry Kane has made a strong case for the Ballon d’Or with a historic season. Yet, when it comes to PSG star Vitinha, the Bayern striker doesn’t make the cut among the favorites. The Portuguese player is backing only his own teammates.

61 goals in official matches for FC Bayern, the German championship, the DFB Cup, and yet another Golden Shoe: Harry Kane did nearly everything last season to make a strong case for the Ballon d’Or.

Nevertheless, he faces prominent competition in the race to be named the world’s best soccer player. Vitinha, for example, sees all the most promising candidates as being at Paris Saint-Germain.

“For me, it would be normal if a PSG player won,” the Portuguese international explained ahead of the UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa.

His three candidates are Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, and Fabián Ruiz. The 26-year-old did not name himself, despite finishing third in the last Ballon d’Or vote.

Kane has historic stats to his credit

It’s particularly interesting that Kane doesn’t feature at all in Vitinha’s selection. After all, from a purely statistical standpoint, there’s hardly any case to be made against the Bayern star.

The 33-year-old scored 61 goals in competitive matches for the German record champions last season, playing a decisive role in their league and DFB-Pokal double.

His numbers become even more impressive when the English national team is factored in. For both club and country, Kane scored a total of 73 goals in just 65 matches. Since the turn of the millennium, only Lionel Messi has posted a better tally, during the 2011–12 season.

Added to this is his Golden Boot award as the top scorer in European leagues. For Kane, this was already his second such award.

The fact that Vitinha nevertheless focuses exclusively on his PSG teammates is likely due primarily to their international success. Paris won the Champions League once again. Fabián Ruiz also capped off his season by winning the World Cup with Spain.

The Champions League could prove to be Kane’s undoing

Photo: IMAGO

This is precisely where Kane’s biggest problem in the race for the Ballon d’Or could lie. While his individual stats are exceptional and he won two domestic titles with Bayern, the German record champions narrowly fell short in the Champions League semifinals.

Players like Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, and Ruiz, on the other hand, can point to triumph in Europe’s premier club competition. Ruiz even has another compelling argument in his favor thanks to the World Cup title.

Nevertheless, Kane has absolutely no reason to feel overshadowed. His 73 goals underscore the importance the Englishman has come to hold not only at FC Bayern but also in top-tier European soccer.

Should he win the first Ballon d’Or of his career, it would also be a special honor for Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga. There hasn’t been a winner of the prestigious individual award from Munich since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.

Kane is unlikely to get Vitinha’s vote. However, given his historic numbers, the Bayern star is likely to rank significantly higher on the ballots of numerous other voters.