BALLON D’OR: KANE LEADS RACE AS YAMAL AND MBAPPE EYE TOP HONOUR

England captain Harry Kane is the leading contender to win the Ballon d’Or at a star-studded ceremony in London on Monday, although Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe are also in contention for football’s most prestigious individual award.

The 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or, established by French magazine France Football, will be held in England for the first time. The ceremony will honour the legacy of Stanley Matthews, the first recipient of the award, while Kane could become the first Englishman to win it in 25 years.

Kane enjoyed an outstanding campaign last season, scoring 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country. His performances helped Bayern Munich secure a domestic league and cup double, while he also led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

The 33-year-old striker admitted that winning the award would represent a significant milestone in his career.

“I’d love to be able to achieve something like that. It would be a massive milestone in my career,” Kane said.

However, England’s semi-final exit from the World Cup and Bayern Munich’s failure to reach the Champions League final could affect his chances of winning the prestigious honour.

Kane also acknowledged the tension surrounding the announcement, noting that the uncertainty had been stressful for his family.

He suggested that keeping the winner’s identity secret until the ceremony helps attract greater attention, ensuring that football’s biggest stars attend the event.

Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, who finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele last year, remains among the leading contenders for the award.

Despite his impressive performances, a hamstring injury disrupted his club campaign, while he did not emerge as the standout performer during Spain’s World Cup triumph, which was largely built on collective strength.

Yamal also missed out on the tournament’s individual player and young player awards to his Barcelona team-mates Rodri and Pau Cubarsi.

Nevertheless, the 19-year-old remains confident about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, insisting that his achievements make him deserving of the honour.

“For me, Mbappe and me, we’re the two best players in the world,” Yamal said last month.

“I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I would deserve it because of what I’ve won.”

Mbappe, meanwhile, enters the race with an impressive collection of individual records despite failing to win major trophies with Real Madrid or France during the period under consideration.

The 27-year-old finished as the leading scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup, although he did not win any of those competitions.

His 10 goals at the World Cup took his career tally in the competition to 22, making him its all-time leading goalscorer.

Mbappe described the achievement as one of the most significant milestones of his career, given the importance of the World Cup in football.

When asked who he would vote for in the Ballon d’Or race, the French forward humorously replied, “Myself.”

The Ballon d’Or winner is determined through votes cast by football journalists representing the 100 highest-ranked nations in FIFA’s rankings.

Each journalist selects their top 10 players from a shortlist of 30 nominees, awarding points according to their rankings, with 15 points going to their first choice and one point to their 10th choice.

The player who accumulates the highest number of points is crowned the winner.

Although the award does not come with a cash prize, winning it can trigger substantial bonuses from clubs and commercial partners while enhancing a player’s global profile and commercial value.

In the women’s category, Barcelona legend Alexia Putellas is considered a leading contender to win the Ballon d’Or for the third time, following an injury-disrupted year for three-time reigning winner Aitana Bonmati.

Putellas, who claimed the award in 2021 and 2022, played a role in Barcelona’s Champions League triumph last season before completing a move to London City Lionesses.

Her former Barcelona team-mate, Polish striker Ewa Pajor, is viewed as one of her main challengers after scoring 11 goals during Barcelona’s Champions League-winning campaign.