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Former France international Samir Nasri has sparked debate over Harry Kane’s 2026 Ballon d’Or triumph, arguing that the England captain has never been the player to carry his team through the biggest matches.
Nasri acknowledged Kane’s quality but questioned whether statistics alone should decide the game’s highest individual honour. “Harry Kane, Ballon d’Or… OK, the statistics made the difference. He’s a fantastic player with so many qualities,” Nasri said. “But he’s never been the player who carried his team somewhere or made his team win in the very big matches. There’s often a slight weakness,” said the former Arsenal and Manchester City footballer to Canal+.
Asked whether Kane’s win excited him, Nasri was blunt. “No, that’s an understatement!”
Nasri’s comments come after Kane became the first English player in 25 years to win the Ballon d’Or. The Bayern Munich striker finished as Europe’s top scorer last season, finding the net 73 times for club and country, and led Bayern to a domestic double of the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, ending the club’s five-year drought in the latter competition.
“Anything is possible with hard work, when no one else is watching, to go through the ups and downs, to learn through resilience, determination and self-belief,” an emotional Kane said. “My journey wasn’t straightforward. I wasn’t the kid who went straight to the top. I had to experience the downs. I had to fight my way to be the very best right now. I hope that can give you inspiration as well.”
Kane scored a hat-trick in the German Cup final and led Bayern to the Champions League semi-finals. At the World Cup, he scored six times to pass Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament and entered the top five highest goalscorers in World Cup history. England lost to Argentina in the semi-finals but beat Kylian Mbappe’s France for third place, their best World Cup finish in 60 years.
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