Harry Kane will not campaign for himself. His Bayern Munich teammates are happy to do it for him.
Luis Díaz is one of them. The Colombia winger, himself on the 30-man shortlist, has thrown his own vote behind the England captain in the 2026 Ballon d’Or race.
“He’s the best in the world, without a doubt,” Díaz said of his club colleague. “He proved it throughout last season and has been showing it for a long time.”
In a separate interview with Bundesliga.com, Díaz was even more emphatic.
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“For me, he’s number one to win it. Hopefully he gets it.”
The case Kane will not make himself
Kane closed the 2025-26 season with 73 goals and eight assists in 65 appearances for Bayern and England, the highest single-season tally by any player since Lionel Messi’s 82 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12.
He would rather leave the arithmetic to others.
“I’ve never liked talking too much about myself,” Kane told reporters earlier this month. “The only thing I’d say is that last season was incredible, both personally and for the team. It was, by far, the best season of my life.”
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Kane also drew a line under the campaign that voters are now weighing.
“I’m extremely proud of that. But the Ballon d’Or isn’t in my hands. It depends on the people who vote. As far as I’m concerned, last season is in the past.”
PSG’s nine-man bloc and the challengers
Kane leads the bookmakers’ market, but the field around him is heavy. Paris Saint-Germain placed nine players on the 30-man shortlist, by far the largest single-club contingent: reigning winner Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha.
Real Madrid pair Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior are also nominated, alongside Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal. Bayern’s own contingent is four names strong, with Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano and Díaz joining Kane on the shortlist.
Díaz took time to spell out why the vote should be Kane’s.
“The truth is, he can do everything, as I said before. I admire him a lot because I feel like he never does anything wrong. He makes his teammates play, he runs, defends, scores goals, and he can also score from long range.”
London on 26 October
The 70th edition of the award is being held in London for the first time, chosen as a tribute to inaugural winner Sir Stanley Matthews.
No English player has lifted the trophy since Michael Owen in 2001.
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