The countdown to find out whether Harry Kane has won his first Ballon d’Or is a matter of days away, with the England captain and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona considered the frontrunners for the award.
Set to be awarded in London on Monday, October 26, should Kane come out on top, he’d become the first Englishman to do so since Michael Owen in 2001, and only the fifth in its 70-year history.
Among those to have recently thrown their support behind the Bayern Munich striker is none other than two-time winner and two-time FIFA World Cup finalist, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Currently a supervisory board member for Bayern, the 71-year-old recently made an impassioned case for Kane to win the award, whilst also lauding him as a person beyond his accomplishments on the field.
“If I am asked to explain why Harry Kane deserves the Ballon d’Or, the sporting facts naturally come first: 73 goals in 65 competitive appearances for FC Bayern and the England national team,” he said, via @iMiaSanMia.
“For the second time in three seasons, Harry won the European Golden Shoe as the continent’s top goalscorer. With Bayern, he won the domestic double of the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, while with England he reached third place at the World Cup - their best finish in sixty (!) years.
“Absolutely extraordinary numbers. But they are only part of the story.”
Rummenigge went on to describe Kane as “a completely different footballer” now from his Tottenham Hotspur days, noting his transition from a pure number nine into what he called “a quarterback” who “consistently puts his extraordinary abilities at the service of the team.”
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However, Rummenigge believes that what sets Kane apart can’t be defined by stats. “The way football is perceived by the public has changed,” he said.
“Top players are no longer simply athletes; they are global personalities, advertising figures and ‘brands.’ The media, social networks and, not least, the public itself are driving this development forward.
“Attention has become a currency of its own. And sometimes you get the impression that the way a player presents himself has become almost as important as his performance on the pitch.
“Harry Kane is the antithesis of that. His performances and popularity have long made him a ‘global brand.’ But he has no need to constantly portray himself as one. He does not need grand gestures to demonstrate greatness.
“He is polite, down-to-earth, free of airs and graces, and treats people as equals. The old saying, ‘You have to be eleven friends,’ has lost none of its meaning with him.
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“Everyone I ask in my family or circle of friends loves Harry Kane. And it is not just because of his goals.
“Despite all his success, he has retained a wonderful and refreshing sense of normality. He is hardworking, works for the team, knows where he came from and has his heart in the right place. People like him have become rare. Where do we still find them - in sport, in politics, in society?
“Harry Kane shows that you can be one of the best players in the world without constantly putting yourself at the centre of attention. That you can be ambitious while still being a team player. And that true greatness does not consist of elevating yourself above others.”
The opinion of Rummenigge is crystal clear, but as he subsequently pointed out, this carries no significance when it comes to deciding this year’s Ballon d’Or winner.
Despite this, the UEFA European Championship winner wanted to make Kane’s case one more time, stating, “In my eyes, Harry Kane is the best player of the past season. But above all, he is something that goes beyond a single season: a true role model. And perhaps, in the end, that is the greatest accolade a footballer can receive.”