England squad stirs controversy over shocking ranking in the 2025 Ballon d'Or

England captain Harry Kane's 13th place finish in the 2025 Ballon d'Or ranking has angered supporters, particularly since Cole Palmer, with an underwhelming 2024/25 Premier League campaign, was ranked above him due to his showing at the FIFA Club World Cup.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony held at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris sparked major debates when Harry Kane, England’s captain and Bayern Munich’s star player, finished 13th in the rankings. This result immediately infuriated fans, especially with Kane ranked below Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who had a rather subdued 2024/25 Premier League season. 2024/25 Premier League season.

In the 2024/25 season, Harry Kane displayed remarkable form with 41 goals and 14 assists for both club and country, totaling 55 goal involvements. This achievement placed him third among Europe's top five leagues, behind only Mohamed Salah and Raphinha. More importantly, he helped Bayern Munich reclaim the Bundesliga title after losing it to Bayer Leverkusen the previous year.

Nevertheless, these impressive stats were not enough to secure Kane a spot among the top 10 players in the Ballon d'Or voting. He ended up 13th, a ranking many fans deemed “unacceptable.”

As soon as the results were announced, social media was flooded with angry reactions. One user commented: “It’s ridiculous, Kane clearly belongs in the top 5 worldwide.” Another wrote: “He had a season better than Mbappe, this is an absolute joke.”

Several Bayern fans also expressed frustration, claiming individual awards consistently undervalue their club. User @BayernArgento shared: “Kane was excluded from the top 10 because of biased awards. They always belittle Bayern. It’s shameful.”

Tottenham fans, Kane’s former club, called this a “disrespect to history” as a striker with over 50 goal involvements was rated so poorly. Particularly, Palmer’s higher ranking shocked many. One fan wrote: “Palmer disappeared for half the season, while Kane carried Bayern, yet he ranked higher? That’s utterly unreasonable.”

This is not the first time Harry Kane has been underrated in individual awards. Despite consistent performance over many years, he rarely receives recognition that matches his goal tally and contributions.

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