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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Jeff Rueter

Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 power rankings: will there be an English winner for the first time in 25 years?

5 Paris SaintGermain World Cup Harry Kane Kylian Mbappé Lionel Messi Ousmane Dembélé France Real Madrid Argentina
Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembélé.
Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé are among the front runners for the Ballon d’Or. Composite: Getty Images

1) Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich)

Even adjusting for the goal-drunken Bundesliga, his 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern last season undersells his all-around impact, considering his playmaking and hold-up skills. Kane was gameplanned out of England’s later games at the World Cup, but he was unstoppable through the last 16 to close out the finest year of his career to date. If not now, when?

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