The Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place on Monday and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane is the favourite to win the award

Harry Kane is the favourite for the Ballon d'Or and could become the first Englishman to win the prestigious award in 25 years on Monday night.

The former Tottenham Hotspur striker has reached new heights since competing the move to Bayern Munich three years ago for a fee in the region of £100million. Kane graduated from Spurs' academy to become the club's' all-time top goalscorer, netting 280 goals in 435 appearances.

Kane’s haul of 73 goals for club and county during the 2025-26 campaign has meant he is the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or, although he will face competition from Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The awards, which were first created by French magazine France Football in 1956, have traditionally taken place in Paris, but will be hosted at Palladium Theatre to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the individual accolade.

Only four players from England have received the Ballon d’Or and Kane is aiming to become the fifth. Speaking after Kane scored in Bayern Munich’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Wednesday, the London-born England captain said: “I try not to think about it.

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“Obviously it is hard not to. There are always rumours and stuff flying around so you try to stay away from it. I think my wife would prefer to know and my family.”

Even though Kane has consistently stayed coy over his prospects of following in the footsteps of Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen by being crowned the latest receipt of the Ballon d’Or, notable key figures in the sport have backed him to claim individual success in London, including England boss Thomas Tuchel.

Former England forward Gary Lineker backed Kane earlier this month, saying: “What Harry Kane has done is truly incredible. I would love to see him win it. It would be very well deserved and it is either going to be him or Lamine Yamal.”

Yamal helped Spain to World Cup success this summer and starred in Barcelona’s La Liga title win, while Kane inspired Bayern to Bundesliga and German Cup success along with a run to the Champions League semi-finals. Kane scored six goals to help England finish third at the World Cup and old Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino believes his former forward should receive the accolade.

“My wish, I hope yes,” Pochettino said of Kane. "I think he deserves it as the reward for his career and for all what he has done in football. For me, it’s Harry Kane’s time.”