Harry Kane finished a historic season and his name is now firmly in the Ballon d’Or conversation. The Bayern Munich striker scored 73 goals for club and country last season, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s career-best single-season tally of 69 goals in 2011-12.
Harry Kane Discusses His Ballon d’Or Chances After the Best Season of His Career
Harry Kane is coming off the most prolific campaign of his career and is now among the leading candidates for the Ballon d’Or, although the English striker acknowledges that the decision is no longer in his hands.
The 33-year-old English forward admitted that he is proud of what he accomplished and described last season as, by far, the best of his career.
“I’m extremely proud of the season I had,” Kane explained in an interview with Owen Hargreaves for TNT Sports. “Not that long ago, I was a fan who wanted to become a professional footballer, and now I’m here winning awards.”
Kane Leaves the Ballon d’Or Decision in the Voters’ Hands
Despite emerging as one of the leading contenders for the award, Kane knows there is nothing more he can do to influence the voting.
“Now it is out of my hands. It is down to the voters and the people who decide. The season I had was by far the best of my career, and we’ll have to wait and see what happens,” he said.
If he wins the Ballon d’Or, the England National Team captain would become just the fifth English player to receive the award, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen, who was the last to accomplish the feat in 2001.
Kane Surpasses Cristiano and Closes In on Messi
Kane’s 73 goals also placed him among some extraordinary scoring numbers. The Englishman surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s best single-season total, although he still finished behind the 82 goals Lionel Messi scored during the 2011-12 campaign.
“I grew up watching Messi and Ronaldo, dominating again and again. They are the two greatest players of our generation and arguably of all time,” he said.
Even the striker himself admitted he was surprised to reach those numbers. “Scoring 73 goals, even for me, is pretty amazing,” he added.
Despite his historic production, Kane is already focused on improving during the new season with Bayern Munich. The striker insists he wants to appreciate what he accomplished while continuing to ask himself whether he can take his game to an even higher level.
For now, his Ballon d’Or candidacy is backed by the best season of his career and a scoring total that placed him in the same territory as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
