Harry Kane is still basking in the joy of his terrific Ballon d’Or win last week.
The England captain, 33, beat off stern competition to land the gong of world’s best player – the first Englishman to do so in 25 years.
It came after a stellar year for Kane, where he notched 61 goals in just 51 club matches for Bayern Munich as well as helped his country to the World Cup semi-finals. Former England man Alan Shearer was in attendance at the London ceremony last week and presented Kane with Gerd Müller Trophy – for being top scorer – prior to the big award.
Speaking in conjunction with Betfair, Shearer said: “I thought it was brilliant that Kane won the Ballon d’Or and I think one of the best parts of the night was that he genuinely didn’t know before it was announced that he was going to win that award.
“When I was lucky enough to give him the award before that, which was for the best striker, I asked him did he know and he didn’t have a clue. Mbappe didn’t have a clue and Yamal didn’t have a clue who was going to win that award, so the genuine surprise and relief and everything else you could sort of feel and see it in him.
“Then I thought the way he delivered his speech and mentioning everyone in the way he did was superb, and for me, he deserved it. He was without doubt a worthy winner because from where he started, he’s a great example of sheer hard work, determination and dedication and a great example to anyone who’s been rejected at a young age.
“You have to go out and do it a different way. You’re going to have to go out and learn like he did. You’re going to have to work harder than anyone else like he has done, and you’re going to have to make yourself into something different and something special and he’s done all of those things. So, for me, he’s a very, very worthy and a deserved winner.”
So, could Kane go back-to-back in 2027? Shearer sees no reason why not.
He added: “I guess you couldn’t rule him out for doing the same again next year. I mean, there’s no European Championships in the summer and no World Cup for him to go to. I’m pretty certain that he’ll score a similar number of goals for Bayern, barring injury. But I guess so will Mbappe and so will Yamal.
“I also think that Barcelona and Real Madrid might have a better chance of being successful in Europe than Bayern Munich. I don’t know, I might be wrong, but I guess they’re Yamal and Mbappe are the favourites for a reason.”
