Harry Kane has made a bold claim about his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or with the England captain now confirmed as an official candidate for the 2025 award.
On Thursday afternoon, the nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or award were announced in a series of posts on the official social media account.
As expected, some of the biggest names in football were included in the 30-player shortlist, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha all making the cut.
Although he isn't among the favourites to win the award, England star Kane also received a nomination for the award following his stellar season with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Advert
In the wake of Kane's fifth nomination for the prestigious award, the striker's comments about his chances of winning it have resurfaced.
Prior to this year, Kane's nominations for the Ballon d'Or came in 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2024, with his highest finish being when he came 10th last year.
But the Englishman now thinks that he stands a better chance of winning the award after his move to Bayern Munich led to him gaining more 'aura' and 'respect' as a player.
While speaking while on international duty in March, the 32-year-old was asked if he was thinking about the Ballon d'Or and his chances of winning it this season.
He replied: "100 per cent. I felt that last season as well, I scored over 40 goals, but obviously, I was never going to win the Ballon d’Or because we didn't win the team trophies,
“I felt like, probably here at Spurs, no matter how many goals I scored, ultimately unless you win the title and the Champions League, you’re not going to be in those conversations.
"I finished 10th in the Ballon d’Or while at Spurs and that was as high as I probably could have finished.
“Those opportunities are there [now]. That’s probably what I mean in terms of being respected more worldwide, on the bigger stage. Being at a club like Bayern Munich has helped push me on even more, confidence-wise and responsibility-wise.
“It almost puts more pressure on myself to perform. I feel like I’ve definitely got better, I've improved, and maybe the 'aura' of me as a player is a bit more respected than what it has been in the past, because you’re playing in big games, big nights."
While Kane scored 41 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich last season, winning the Bundesliga - his first major trophy, he is not expected to be among the favourites for this year's award.
Who is favourite to win 2025 Ballon d'Or?
As it stands, Paris Saint-Germain forward Dembele is the firm favourite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or after he played a key role in the French side winning a quadruple including both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
The 28-year-old scored 35 goals and assisted 16 across 53 appearances last season.
Barcelona wonderkid Yamal, who is also nominated for the 2025 Kopa Trophy, follows Dembele as the second favourite to win the Ballon d'Or this year.
Meanwhile, Barca winger Raphinha, Liverpool star Mo Salah and PSG midfielder Vitinha are also thought to be in contention.
Full list of 2025 Ballon d'Or nominees
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain, Italy)
Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan, Netherlands)
Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund, Guinea)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal, Sweden)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona, Poland)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, Argentina)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan, Argentina)
Scott McTominay (Napoli, Scotland)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, France)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
Pedri (Barcelona, Spain)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea, England)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)
Raphinha (Barcelona, Brazil)
Declan Rice (Arsenal, England)
Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain, Spain)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)
Florian Wirtz (Liverpool, Germany)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)