Harry Kane 'undervalued' in the Ballon d'Or race

Although he has continuously set new goal-scoring records for Bayern Munich and the England national team, Harry Kane was placed just 13th in the 2025 Ballon d'Or, prompting opinions that he is being overlooked.

Even after scoring 41 goals last season and helping Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title for the first time, Harry Kane finished 13th in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting. This result led many experts, including former England defender Joleon Lescott, to suggest that the English striker is being “underappreciated.”

Kane left Tottenham in 2023 as the club’s all-time leading scorer, but his performance in Germany has been even more impressive. In 102 appearances for Bayern, Kane has netted 98 goals, an astonishing rate. This season alone, he has scored 13 goals in 7 matches, including two hat-tricks.

On the international stage, he has also raised his goal tally to 74 in 104 games, establishing himself as one of the world’s top strikers. However, these achievements were not enough to place Kane in the top 10 of the prestigious award, which was won by PSG’s Ousmane Dembele.

Speaking on the podcast In The Mixer by Sky Bet, Lescott expressed that Kane has not received the recognition he deserves. He said: “Since moving to Bayern, Kane has scored more goals than matches played, an incredible rate. Yet, people don’t seem to pay much attention because Kane isn’t the type of player who always excites the crowd. In reality, his technical foundation, efficiency, and consistency are extremely high, but what Kane achieves appears to be undervalued.”

While feeling sympathy for Kane, Lescott admitted that Dembele’s win was justified. The French star helped PSG secure a treble in the 2024/25 season and joined the exclusive group to have won the Ballon d'Or, Champions League, and World Cup. Additionally, Lescott praised midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who is thriving at Liverpool. According to him, the 23-year-old deserves to be considered one of the best holding midfielders globally due to his game control and versatility.

While Dembele is sidelined with injury and Gravenberch continues to lead Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, Harry Kane maintains his brilliant form at Bayern. This weekend, he will have another chance to increase his goal tally when the “Bavarian giants” host Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.