{
  "id": 12847684,
  "title": "Gary Lineker backs ‘deserving’ Harry Kane to win the Ballon d’Or",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/gary-lineker-backs-deserving-harry-kane-to-win-the-ballon-dor",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T10:43:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/gary-lineker-backs-deserving-harry-104353748.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gary Lineker has endorsed England's Harry Kane for a potential Ballon d’Or victory, praising the player as \"phenomenal\" after his recent performance against Czech Republic. Kane surpassed Lineker as England's all-time leading World Cup scorer and is currently the leading scorer for both Bayern Munich and England. Lineker highlighted Kane's versatility, noting that the striker excels not only in front of goal but also in defensive work. He expressed hope that Kane, who has also scored 12 times for England this season, would win the prestigious award. With only Lamine Yamal currently in contention, Lineker believes Kane's accomplishments, both on and off the field, make him a strong candidate for the accolade. The Ballon d’Or ceremony, marking its 70th edition, is set to take place in London on October 26th in honor of the inaugural winner, Sir Stanley Matthews.",
  "summary": "Kane matched Peter Shilton’s 125-cap England record against Czechia and scored twice in a 3-0 Nations League win at Wembley",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Karl-Heinz Rummenigge backs Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane for Ballon d’Or",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/karl-heinz-rummenigge-backs-bayern-munichs-harry-kane-for-ballon-dor",
        "published": "2026-10-08T02:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}