Bayern Munich's Uli Hoeneß Backs Harry Kane for Ballon d'Or

Uli Hoeneß, the honorary president of Bayern Munich, has publicly dismissed the possibility of Lionel Messi winning a ninth Ballon d'Or, calling the idea "nonsense." Hoeneß strongly supports Harry Kane as the deserving winner of the award, highlighting Kane's remarkable performance during the 2025/26 season, where he scored 73 competitive goals for club and country. Kane led Bayern Munich to a Bundesliga and German Cup double, captained England to a third-place finish at the World Cup, and was the Bundesliga's top scorer for the third consecutive season with 36 goals.

He also won the European Golden Shoe as the leading goalscorer across Europe’s top leagues. Hoeneß criticized Kylian Mbappé, who was the top scorer in both the Champions League and the World Cup but did not win any trophies that season.

The Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for October 26 in London, where Kane is on a shortlist that includes Messi, Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembélé, and Rodri.