Former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has questioned Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or triumph, claiming the Bayern Munich striker has never carried his team in the biggest matches.
Kane won the prestigious award on Monday night in London, narrowly beating Kylian Mbappe, with Lamine Yamal finishing third. The 33-year-old England captain's achievement is remarkable given his uneventful loan spells from Tottenham at Millwall, Leicester and Norwich.
His relentless goal-scoring for club and country, along with his unique positional play that sees him pop up all over the pitch, helped him secure the prize.
Nasri questions Kane's big-game impact
Speaking to Canal+, Nasri acknowledged Kane's statistics but questioned his influence in decisive matches. He said: 'Harry Kane, Ballon d'Or…okay, the statistics made the difference.'
'He's a fantastic player with so many qualities. But he's never been the player who carried his team somewhere or made his team win in the very big matches. There's often a slight weakness. But he's an extraordinary player.'
When asked if he was excited by this year's winner, Nasri replied: 'No, that's an understatement.'
Yamal's uncle and Guti criticise decision
Yamal's uncle Abdul also criticised the outcome, telling El Larguero via AS: 'Very sad, my nephew is the best player in the world, everyone knows it.'
'If you like football, you go to see Lamine, not Harry Kane. Kane is a great goal-scorer, but Lamine shines on the pitch. Since Lamine is young, he has time, and that's why they're not giving him the opportunity. Kane, with only three days of football left, has been given the opportunity. I'm sure Lamine will end up winning 5. In three days, Lamine's sadness will be over.'
Former Real Madrid star Guti also questioned the decision on El Chiringuito, saying: 'It's quite a coincidence that they're taking the 70th anniversary Ballon d'Or to London and that someone from London wins it. Lamine and Mbappé deserve it more. You only have to see Kane's face when they call his name. He never would have imagined winning the Ballon d'Or.'
Kane's journey and achievement
Kane is the fifth English player to claim the prize after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan (twice) and Michael Owen.
Reflecting on his career, Kane told DAZN: 'I had to go through many ups and downs, especially early in my career. I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now.'
'I had to bide my time and work hard, a lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it, I had to show self-belief, determination. I think that grounded me even when I did make it at the highest level to keep improving and keep getting better.'
Last season he scored 73 goals in 65 games for club and country.
