Golden Shoe winner Kane hopes for Ballon d'Or after 'best season ever'

MUNICH: Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane is hoping to secure the prestigious Ballon d'Or award following an exceptional season, which has earned him the European Golden Shoe for the second time. The England captain achieved the feat by topping goalscoring charts across Europe's top leagues last year. Kane claimed the 2023-24 Golden Shoe after a standout first season at Bayern Munich, where he netted 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches, ranking third among German top-flight scorers that campaign.

He also claimed the league and cup double and netted six goals in the World Cup, becoming England's top scorer with 14 career goals, bringing his total tally to 73 goals for club and country in 2023-24. Kane admitted that while he can't control the outcome, he hopes to be among the elite few to receive the football world's highest individual accolade.

He reflected on his best season ever, stating, "I achieved a lot with the teams I was in." Kane was a key player in Bayern's Champions League semi-final run, where they fell short to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, and England's World Cup semi-final run, which ended in a 2-1 defeat to Argentina. Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, serial Ballon d'Or winners, have won the Golden Shoe more frequently than Kane.

Messi secured the award six times with Barcelona, while Ronaldo won it three times at Real Madrid and once with Manchester United. Kane mentioned that the actual winner of the Ballon d'Or will be a topic of debate among fans and pundits, emphasizing that many players have had remarkable seasons. On Monday, Kane confirmed that he would soon begin negotiations to extend his contract at Bayern, which is set to expire in 2027.