Harry Kane believes England winning the World Cup would give him every chance of being awarded the Ballon d’Or.
The Bayern Munich striker has 23 goals from 17 matches for his club this season and three from four for his country. He is currently third favourite for next year’s prize behind Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
However, Kane knows that his odds of taking such a prestigious individual honour will shorten considerably if he can lead England to glory in North America.
‘I could score 100 goals this season but if I don’t win the Champions League or World Cup, you’re probably not going to win the Ballon d’Or,’ said Kane, who will captain England against Albania here in Tirana on Sunday evening.
‘It’s the same with (Erling) Haaland or any player. You have to be winning those major trophies. With the way the season is going with Bayern Munich, it looks like we’re in great shape. It looks like we’re one of the favourites for the Champions League. It’s the same with England. I think we’re going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites.’
Kane acknowledges that his own form and fitness faded heading into Euro 2024, but there is hope that a winter break in Germany will aid him and England come the summer.
‘I’ve got six more weeks before I get a nice break,’ he said. ‘The other side of that, that’s when the focus starts to turn to the end of the season, the big games and the summer itself. I am feeling good. That break will help and, hopefully, if things go my way for club and country then I’m definitely going to be in the conversation for a trophy like the Ballon D’Or.’
Kane added: ‘I know there was a lot of talk about where I was physically going into the last tournament, especially. And if I compare it to how I feel now, I’d say I’m definitely fitter and sharper. That was maybe off the back of a couple of little injuries that I picked up towards the end of the season.
‘I don’t think it’s a matter of fatigue. I think it’s more trying not to pick up knocks, especially now being in the Bundesliga and not having that Premier League grind through the winter.
‘I feel as good as I’ve ever felt now. I spend a lot of time and dedication trying to be as fit as possible all year round, because the season is pretty much all year round now. It’s just trying to peak at that right time and hopefully we can get that right in the summer.’
Meanwhile, Kane has revealed that England are working from an NFL-style playbook in their bid to gain an advantage from set-pieces.
‘Set-pieces are massive,’ he said. ‘I know it’s not the prettiest part of the game, but we have always been big on set-plays, both defending and attacking. I feel like we are getting in some really good routines, attacking-wise.
‘We want to build a book of set-plays, like an NFL playbook, in a way where you look at the opposition and see if they are zonal or man-marking and we can pick what we want to do.
‘Ultimately, the best team at set-plays normally go on to be the best team in the tournament. They go on to have clean sheets, they go on to the latter stages, and we did that in 2018 and 2022.’
