Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany did not hold back his support and admiration for Harry Kane to win the Ballon d’Or, praising the forward’s selfless contribution and consistency over the years.
“Now that the voting is over, I don’t have to hide or be diplomatic. What made Harry happy the most in recent years is that he finally won his first team trophies here. Now if he can crown his career or his season with the Ballon d’Or, that would be deserved for the way he plays for the team,” said Kompany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
In Wednesday’s game against Arsenal in the Champions League, Kane was the linchpin for Bayern. Missing key players in Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich, Bayern were in desperate need of a coordinator who could handle the physical pressure from the visitors.
Harry Kane stepped in by stepping back and began orchestrating the Bayern attack. Of Kane’s 19 accurate passes, 6 of them were into the opposition’s final third. That is how often Kane pulled back to collect and progress the ball into the attack. In comparison, Bayern’s starting midfielders had 7 passes each into the final third, while only Martin Ødegaard and left-back Riccardo Calafiori from Arsenal’s camp surpassed Kane in this stat.
Time and again, Kane has proven that he can become what his team needs him to be. A makeshift tackler, defensive midfielder, box-to-box central midfielder, or attacking midfielder whose passes can split the opposition and create chances—Harry has done it all over the last two seasons. At Bayern, the 33-year-old has hit a new peak in his footballing ability that deserves the highest recognition in the sport.
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