The vote inside Kane’s own dressing room is in.
Serge Gnabry, speaking on Tuesday before Bayern Munich’s Champions League tie with Arsenal, named his Bayern team-mate as his pick for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on Monday 26 October at the London Palladium, the first time the ceremony has left Paris.
“He’s shown it time and time again, how valuable he is. How much he has improved since coming here, an incredible player,” Gnabry told TNT Sports.
“Very deserving. I said it earlier at a press conference. I don’t know who decides the markers on who deserves to win that trophy, but he has had an incredible year. He’s still in great form, still scoring a lot of goals, so valuable to our team. I would wish it for him, he deserves that trophy.”
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Kane is competing with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who has pushed ahead of the Bayern striker in the betting markets after a season in which he won La Liga and started Spain’s World Cup final victory over Argentina in New Jersey.
Nine goals, six assists and a Gnabry endorsement
Kane arrives at Ballon d’Or week on 9 goals and 6 assists in 10 appearances across all competitions this season, with three strikes in two Champions League matches. The underlying pitch comes from last season’s 73 goals in 65 games for club and country, including 61 for Bayern in all competitions during a Bundesliga title-winning campaign.
Gnabry framed the daily evidence in different terms.
“He scores a lot of goals. The right mindset, he’s always in the game, focused. In that sense, a calm through the storm, and sets the bar high.”
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Facing Arteta, a decade on from Wenger
The night brings Gnabry something else too. He joined Arsenal from VfB Stuttgart in 2011 at 16, broke into the first team under Arsène Wenger, and left in 2016 for Werder Bremen for a reported £8m before joining Bayern a year later via a loan at Hoffenheim.
The manager in the opposite dugout tonight is Mikel Arteta, who signed a new contract on 7 October tying him to Arsenal until 2030 after ending the club’s long wait for a Premier League title.
“It wasn’t an easy project. For him to last that long, to have that success, and make them champions again, is a very big achievement. Probably a bigger achievement than some achievements by bigger coaches,” Gnabry said.
He did not pretend to be torn.
“I’ve played for the club, so in some ways I’m happy for them, but of course, tomorrow, I’m playing for Bayern Munich. They’re my current club, and we need to win tomorrow.”
Kick-off at the Allianz Arena is at 9pm local time.
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