Thomas Müller names two players ahead of Harry Kane for Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

Thomas Müller has backed either Michael Olise or Kylian Mbappé to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

No doubt to the surprise of many a Bavarian, the Bayern legend did not name ex-teammate Harry Kane, who is widely considered a leading contender for the award.

The case for Michael Olise or Kylian Mbappé to win the Ballon d’Or

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

“For me, there are two candidates whose individual performances have thrilled me the most: Michael Olise and his perfect partner at the World Cup, Kylian Mbappé,” Müller argued in his latest newsletter.

“The two of them combine spectacular play with a genuine threat on goal. Specifically, they manage to be efficient through a blend of finesse and power—all while making it look effortless. To me, that is the stuff of a World Player of the Year. It simply takes a touch of magic.”

No one’s denying that, on his day, Real Madrid’s Mbappé is capable of stupendous footballing feats.

Likewise, Michael Olise is coming hot off the back of a tremendous 2025/26 campaign, in which he personally registered 53 goal contributions (22 goals and 31 assists) in 52 games. Form the former Crystal Palace star has continued into the following campaign, with 12 goal contributions in seven games (across all competitions).

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Kylian Mbappé, to his credit, has a whopping 49 goal contributions in 44 games (across all competitions) last term.

So, we can see some of the logic behind Müller’s picks for the award.

If we’re going off the World Cup…

Just one thing, though… if we are taking into consideration how all three players performed at the World Cup, we’re not so sure that Harry Kane’s individual performance should go against him.

The England skipper registered six goals across the group and knockout rounds, compared to his French counterpart’s eight goals (excluding a further two efforts in France’s third-place playoff).

However, ultimately, both England and Les Bleus were thwarted in the semi-finals against Argentina and Spain respectively. And a World Cup performance can’t simply be judged on goals but also on all-round contributions on the pitch. On that point, Harry Kane has arguably done at least as much as Mbappé to justify his place as a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or.

Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane deserves recognition

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Thomas Müller’s insight is rarely anything but thoughtful and well-considered. And while his honesty here is genuinely admirable, we do think our former No.25 may be overlooking the remarkable efforts of FC Bayern’s No.9.

Let’s talk numbers first before diving into the nuance of what makes Harry Kane the world’s leading striker. 61 goals and seven assists in 51 games (across all competitions) beggar belief.

“Ah,” the neutral might say. “But he did this in the Bundesliga!” Is the German top-flight not of a comparable standard to La Liga? In that case, it really is worth emphasising that Kylian Mbappé is 19 goal contributions short of Kane’s tally for 2025/26 – if anyone wishes to play a game of numbers.

Now then… onto the nuance. The fact is that Müller’s argument would carry a great deal of weight if there weren’t much substance to Kane’s game beyond his eye for goal. Bayern’s campaign last year, however, provides plenty of evidence to the contrary. The fact that the 33-year-old even managed to surpass the 61-goal mark is an extraordinary feat given how much time he spent outside of the penalty box and, in particular, dropping deep inside his own half.

Don’t take our word for it – FotMob demonstrates the point perfectly with their comparative heatmaps for Kane and Mbappé’s 2025/26 campaigns.

(Imagery courtesy of FotMob)

It’s quite stark that the France superstar virtually never left the opponent’s half for much of the campaign. That’s not necessarily a criticism but a point made to underline just how, frankly, insane it is that Kane managed to outscore his competitor for the Ballon d’Or while playing a quarterback-esque role for FC Bayern throughout 2025/26.

Kylian Mbappé is, we want to emphasise, a sensational footballer – as is, of course, the wonderful Michael Olise. But the Ballon d’Or should be about more than just scoring or individual flair; it should take into consideration how each player shapes their team and influences their ability to win football matches.

On that part, Harry Kane has his competition cleanly beat.