Harry Kane is considered the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or. However, former Bayern coach Felix Magath would award the prize to a completely different player.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or will be presented in London on Monday evening—and from Bayern Munich’s perspective, the focus is primarily on Harry Kane. After an outstanding season, the striker is among the top contenders for the prestigious award. Surprisingly, however, Felix Magath would not give the prize to the Bayern star.

The former coach of Germany’s record-holding champions has a completely different top choice. Magath would vote for Marc Cucurella. The Spanish left back plays for Real Madrid and won the World Cup with Spain this summer. For Magath, it is above all Cucurella’s consistency at the highest level that is decisive.

“He’s world-class as a left back—always there, a strong runner, and he hardly ever loses a tackle,” Magath told BILD. The 73-year-old is also particularly impressed by the fact that Cucurella excels not only defensively: “He shuts down his side and also gets involved going forward. He played a major role in Spain’s World Cup title.”

No Bayern star in Magath’s personal top three

It’s particularly noteworthy that Magath has completely omitted Bayern Munich players from his personal selection. This is especially true in light of Kane, who is currently the bookmakers’ favorite to win the Ballon d’Or. Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano are also among the 30 nominees.

Magath, on the other hand, has chosen exclusively players from Spain’s World Cup-winning team. Rodri ranks second on his personal list. Magath described the midfielder as the “pacing force in Spain’s midfield” and said he was rightly named the tournament’s best player at the World Cup.

Magath awards third place to Fabian Ruiz of Paris Saint-Germain. “The third Spanish World Cup champion on my list of favorites,” explained the former Bayern coach. Ruiz is a “strong partner for Rodri” and played a major role in the balance and stability of Spain’s play. Added to that, in Magath’s view, is the Champions League triumph with PSG.

In making his selection, Magath is thus applying significantly different criteria than many observers did ahead of the gala. While public discussion has focused primarily on Kane, Kylian Mbappé, and Lamine Yamal, the former Bayern coach places particular emphasis on tactical importance, defensive strength, and the player’s contribution to the World Cup title.

For Kane, the actual outcome of the vote remains unaffected by this. Those eligible to vote have long since cast their ballots for the winner. The decision will be announced Monday evening at the London Palladium. Should Kane win, he would be the first Bayern player since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981 to receive the Ballon d’Or.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/26/ballon-dor-fuer-cucurella-ex-bayern-trainer-trifft-ueberraschende-wahl/.