'Top Ballon d'Or Candidate' Kane Honestly Admits, "It's Not Even Up to Me to Vote... I'll Have to Wait and See the Results"

*This content was translated by AI.

As Harry Kane (33, Bayern Munich), who is enjoying the best season of his career and has emerged as a strong Ballon d'Or contender, and Kylian Mbappé (27, Real Madrid), who stands tall as the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, both shared their candid thoughts on the world's most prestigious individual award.

Global sports outlet 'BeIN Sports' reported on the 8th (local time) that "Kane has been mentioned as a strong Ballon d'Or contender after having the most explosive season of his career. However, Kane acknowledged that the final decision is no longer in his hands."

Kane scored an impressive 73 goals last season across all competitions with So Sok-tim-gwa (CEO) team. This surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 69 goals in a single season set during the 2011–2012 campaign and follows Lionel Messi, who netted 82 goals in the same period, marking another historic milestone. If Kane wins the Ballon d'Or, he will become the fifth English player to receive the award, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen in 2001.

Expectations for Kane to win the Ballon d'Or are high in the UK. 'BBC' even published a feature article questioning his chances of winning the award.

Moreover, Kane has not hidden his ambition for the Ballon d'Or. In an interview with TNT Sports' Owen Hargreaves, he stated, "I am extremely proud of what I achieved last season. Not long ago, I was a fan dreaming of becoming a professional player, and now I'm here receiving awards."

When asked about his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or, Kane added, "It's out of my hands now. It depends on the voters and those who hold the decision-making power. Last season was undoubtedly the best of my career, so we'll have to wait and see what results come."

He continued, "I grew up watching Messi and Ronaldo dominate. They are not only the greatest players of our generation but also among the greatest of all time. Scoring 73 goals is truly remarkable for me as well," he added.

Mbappé, who shone brightly at the World Cup, also expressed confidence in his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or. This summer, he scored 10 goals at the World Cup, won the Golden Boot, and led France to fourth place, while reaching a total of 22 career World Cup goals to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history.

Speaking at a press conference held in Madrid, Spain, Mbappé said, "When you play for Real Madrid, the world's best club, people naturally associate such awards with players like me. Many fans I meet on the street talk about the Ballon d'Or and list me as a strong contender."

He further stated, "I wrote a significant chapter in history at this summer's most important tournament. While I feel this year could be a good one for winning the Ballon d'Or, people have the right to freely vote for the player they consider the best in the world."

Mbappé also addressed criticism regarding his contribution to the team and advice from coach José Mourinho. Mourinho recently suggested that Mbappé should focus more on contributing to the team's title win even if it means scoring fewer goals.

Responding to this, Mbappé said, "I would accept it if I could score 30 goals and still win the trophy, but that is an unreasonable argument. I always want to score goals and lift the trophy. There's no need to choose one over the other; I can do both." He also dismissed comparisons with dedicated wingers like Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé or Barcelona's Raphinha, stating, "I could foolishly say that I'm scoring more than them, but since I'm doing things others cannot, I don't want simple comparisons."

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*This content was translated by AI.