Kane on Yamal and Mbappé’s Ballon d’Or campaigning: “It’s just not my personality” | OneFootball

Bayern Munich star Harry Kane is among the leading candidates to win the Ballon d’Or, with voting set to close on Monday and the winner to be announced in October.

Speaking on Wednesday, the England forward discussed his approach to the award and how it differs from that of fellow contenders Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona and Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid, who have been more open in making their case for the prestigious prize.

“Everyone is entitled to do what they want to do in that situation. Obviously the Ballon d'Or has become bigger and bigger over recent years, mainly because of social media, and all the noise, and all the conversations about it,” Kane told the Standard.

“From my point of view, it's just not my personality to talk about myself in that light. I'm still very proud of what I've done. And from a principle point of view, I know what I achieved last year was as good as anyone. So I don't want to shy away from that either. But ultimately, my mindset is to move on,” he continued.

“I think the timing of the Ballon d'Or is tough, because you're already in a new season, you're already focused on what I can achieve this year. And after every game you're talking about what you've done last year. So it's hard for me to get my head around that. But from my point of view, it would be unbelievable to win it, I'd be extremely proud to win it."

While Kane is well aware that he is a genuine contender after his stunning season, he prefers to let others make the case for him.

"I think I'm definitely in the running to win it, without a doubt. So time will tell, the voters will vote for who they want. Whether [other contenders] doing more interviews or less interviews has an impact on that, it obviously has an impact socially, and on the debate around it, for sure.

"But the actual voters, I'm not 100 per cent sure. I think the voters will vote for who they think deserves it, and they'll have the information, the stats, and they'll decide. I think from my point of view, it makes me more proud when other people talk about me, when other team-mates or ex-players or whoever it is, people who compliment me on what I’ve achieved. I think that makes me more proud than me trying to talk about it myself."