Real Madrid Tie Could Decide Kane's Ballon D'or Hopes

No subordinate successful Europe comes adjacent to matching Harry Kane's goalscoring grounds this play – but could an untimely ankle problem scupper his Ballon d'Or chances?

The Englishman has scored 53 times successful 45 appearances for nine and state this word but knows goals unsocial won't beryllium capable to onshore nan award, which is why he will beryllium hopeless to beryllium fit for Bayern Munich's crunch Champions League crippled against Real Madrid connected Tuesday (20:00 BST).

Kane, who missed Saturday's melodramatic 3-2 triumph astatine Freiburg because of nan injury, ended his trophy drought by winning nan Bundesliga past season, but much home honours successful Germany won't unafraid him football's astir prestigious individual prize.

Rightly aliases wrongly, nan Ballon d'Or isn't simply a lawsuit of rewarding solo brilliance. It is progressively a prerequisite to besides being portion of a squad that lands 1 of nan game's biggest titles - nan Champions League, World Cup aliases a continental balanced specified arsenic nan European Championship.

Kane will get 2 bites astatine nan cherry this year, captaining England astatine nan World Cup successful nan summer, but his first – and arguably champion - chance comes pinch Bayern.

The Bavarians person been successful scintillating shape this season, winning 37 of 43 games, but will request their talisman fresh and firing arsenic their European credentials are tested successful a quarter-final first limb astatine nan Bernabeu.

"I could people 100 goals this season, but if I don't triumph nan Champions League aliases nan World Cup, you're astir apt not going to triumph nan Ballon d'Or," Kane said successful November. "It's nan aforesaid pinch immoderate player. You person to beryllium winning those awesome trophies."

History suggests he is right. Since 2006, almost 80% of Ballon d'Or winners person claimed nan accolade successful a twelvemonth erstwhile they besides lifted either nan Champions League aliases a awesome world tournament, specified arsenic nan World Cup, Euros aliases Copa America.

Only 2 players person defied that inclination successful nan past 2 decades and some are all-time greats who tin beryllium considered outliers. Lionel Messi won nan grant successful 2010, 2012 and 2019 contempt Champions League semi-final exits for his Barcelona side, pinch Cristiano Ronaldo taking nan prize successful 2013, erstwhile Real Madrid bowed retired of nan title astatine nan aforesaid stage.