Jamie Carragher has warned that Harry Kane's England team-mates will likely cost him the Ballon d'Or, as the award is expected to go to the standout performer of the World Cup-winning nation.
Kane's exceptional season
Kane has scored 72 goals this season for Bayern Munich and England, including a brace in the round of 32 against DR Congo that took his tournament tally to five. Carragher wrote in The Telegraph: "If the vote for the Ballon d'Or was being held right now, Kane would be the worthy winner, his heroics for England against DR Congo absorbing his 72nd goal of this season. Only Lionel Messi has recently hit those kinds of numbers. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo was so prolific in one campaign."
World Cup factor
However, Carragher believes the World Cup year will determine the winner. He stated: "Based on the past 12 months, Kane should win the Ballon d'Or. Unfortunately, he probably won't because in a World Cup year, it is bound to go to the star player of the winning nation." He added that if Argentina retain the cup, Messi will win; if France win, Kylian Mbappe or Michael Olise could be contenders, with Olise being Kane's Bayern team-mate.
Historical context
Carragher noted that Messi won the Ballon d'Or after Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph, but such an outcome is rare. Luka Modric finished second in 2018 despite France winning, while Antoine Griezmann and Mbappe placed third and fourth. Messi was the first World Cup winner to claim the Ballon d'Or since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, and before that, Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and Ronaldo in 2002.
Carragher concluded: "Kane's goal output is beyond them all. He is performing at the same level as France's best and Messi, going toe-to-toe in the Golden Boot race."
