Harry Kane has said that he sees himself with a true opportunity to win the next male gold ball, adding his “aura” as a player has improved since he joined Bayern Munich.
The 31 -year -old striker, who is the top scorer of all time in England, has scored 32 goals and provided 11 assists in 37 appearances in all competitions this season for Bayern, helping German giants to overcome the Bundesliga table and reserve a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
While no English player has won the Ballon D'Or since the former Liverpool striker Michael Owen in 2001, Kane believes that his possibility of winning the individual male football award has been promoted by his August 2023 movement of Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern.
“Just being in a club like Bayern Munich has helped to push me even more, in terms of trust and in terms of responsibility,” Kane told journalists before Friday's World Cup qualifier against Albania.
“I feel that I have definitely improved, I have improved, and perhaps the 'aura' of me as a player is a little more respected than it has been in the past, because you are playing in big games, big nights.
“That is probably what I mean in terms of being more respected worldwide, on the biggest stage. For something like that, you have to win enough team trophies to be considered in that and probably score 40 goals, but that is a possibility this season.”
Kane said her exploits are not always appreciated, but she is still motivated as always.
“It's like when [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi was throwing these crazy numbers and next season he would scored 40 goals instead of 50. It was as if they were having a bad season, “Kane said.
“People take it for granted and maybe a little with England as well. I have scored 69 goals and when you score against Albania or Latvia, or these teams, people simply wait for it, so they don't talk much.
“If I was 25 years old now and doing what I am doing, the emotion around me would may be a bit different from what it is now. That is part of where we are with football … Maybe people simply get bored a bit of what you do, but I am certainly not bored. I am excited by these games and games ahead.”
Reuters information contributed to this report.
