Emmanuel Petit ruled Harry Kane out of the Ballon d'Or race: the season-defining matches proved decisive
Emmanuel Petit, a 1998 World Cup winner with France and former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder, believes that Harry Kane missed the best opportunity of his career to win the Ballon d'Or. In his assessment, the Bayern striker's exceptional statistics were not enough because England failed to reach the 2026 World Cup final, while the Munich club were stopped in the Champions League semi-finals. Petit said that, in the selection for football's most important individual award, people remember not only the total number of goals, but above all what leading players do in matches that directly decide the biggest trophies. It was precisely at that point, the former France international claims, that Kane lost the advantage he had built throughout almost the entire season.
Petit's assessment came after the conclusion of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where England once again came close to taking the final step but failed to do so. Thomas Tuchel's team were beaten 2-1 by Argentina in the semi-final in Atlanta on 15 July, despite taking the lead through Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute. According to FIFA's official match report, Enzo Fernández equalised in the 85th minute, before Lautaro Martínez completed the comeback in the second minute of stoppage time. Kane neither scored nor registered an assist in that match, so the debate over his contribution in the most important moments reopened immediately after England's elimination.
Petit: numbers are not enough when the decisive moment is missing
In comments reported by British and international sports media, Petit said that Kane's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or were, in his opinion, over. His main criticism was that the England captain failed to impose himself in the matches in which Bayern and the national team needed his solutions under the greatest pressure. Petit used the expression that the striker "disappeared" when things became most difficult, linking the World Cup semi-final with Bayern's elimination in the closing stages of the Champions League. Such wording is harsh, but it clearly demonstrates the criterion by which the retired French footballer assesses the candidates: the greatest individual honours should go to players who leave the most striking mark in the final stages of the most important competitions.
At the same time, Kane's performance at the tournament cannot be described as a statistical failure. According to data published by FIFA and sports media after the tournament, he finished the competition with six goals and one assist in seven appearances. He was one of the key reasons England progressed from the group and through several demanding knockout matches, while during the tournament he further strengthened his status as the leading goalscorer in the history of the England national team. However, he was not directly involved in any goals in the quarter-final victory over Norway or the semi-final defeat by Argentina. Petit uses precisely those two matches as an argument that Kane, despite his outstanding overall contribution, was left without the moment that would have made his candidacy almost unquestionable.
The difference between an outstanding season and a Ballon d'Or-winning season often comes down to a handful of matches. Kane demonstrated reliability, movement, finishing ability and importance to England's attacking structure during the tournament, but he completed the semi-final without a tangible contribution in the final phases of attacking moves. According to FIFA's official statistics, Argentina had more shots, greater possession and significantly more completed passes. After taking the lead, England dropped deeper, lost control and conceded twice in the final ten minutes or so. Responsibility for such a development cannot be attributed solely to the captain, but in Ballon d'Or debates the biggest stars regularly carry the largest share of the symbolic burden.
Bayern's European elimination placed an additional burden on his candidacy
Petit also linked Kane's position to the Champions League, where Bayern were stopped by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals. UEFA data show that the first match in Paris ended in a 5-4 victory for PSG, while the return leg in Munich finished 1-1, allowing the French club to reach the final with a 6-5 aggregate score. Kane converted a penalty in the first match and scored in stoppage time in the return leg. However, his late goal in Munich came too late for Bayern to force extra time or complete a comeback.
Because of those goals, Petit's claim that Kane completely disappeared in the European semi-final should be understood as a value judgement rather than a literal description of the statistics. The Englishman was involved in Bayern's most important attacking moments, but he was unable to change the final outcome of the tie. In the Ballon d'Or selection, such a distinction can be decisive: a goal in defeat remains important, but a goal that takes a team into the final or delivers a trophy creates a far more powerful narrative. Petit evidently believes that Kane lacks precisely that final piece of proof, although his individual performance throughout the season remains among the best in European football.
Bayern came very close to competing for the European title in the semi-final, and the difference between progression and elimination amounted to one goal in a tie featuring as many as 11 goals. It is therefore difficult to reduce the entire elimination to the performance of one player. Defensive errors, nine goals conceded across two matches and the inability to exploit periods of dominance in the return leg carried at least equal weight. Nevertheless, the Ballon d'Or is not an award presented according to the distribution of tactical responsibility, but a vote in which impression, symbolism and decisive scenes often have almost as much importance as seasonal statistics.
A season with 61 goals and a domestic double
Kane's candidacy remains strong precisely because his club figures are exceptional. Bayern announced that the England striker scored 61 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions in the 2025/26 season, which the club described as the best season of his career. He scored 36 times in the Bundesliga, finished as the German league's top scorer for the third consecutive season and won the European Golden Shoe. Bayern also won the German league title and the DFB Cup, while Kane concluded the domestic season with a hat-trick in the 3-0 final victory over Stuttgart.
Such a record demonstrates why Petit's verdict is not a universally accepted fact, but the opinion of one respected former player. A striker who scores more than 60 goals in one season, wins two major domestic trophies and leads his club to the Champions League semi-finals cannot simply be erased from the discussion. Kane carried a huge share of Bayern's attacking burden throughout the year, while his efficiency in the Bundesliga was exceptional even by the standards of a club that traditionally dominates German football. In addition, six goals at the World Cup confirmed that his form was not limited solely to club competition.
On the other hand, the Ballon d'Or is not automatically awarded to the top scorer. According to the criteria cited by UEFA in its explanation of the selection process, individual performances and decisive character, team results and trophies won, as well as sporting class and fair play, are taken into account. Kane has strong arguments in the first category and significant success in the second, but he did not win the Champions League or the World Cup. His main rivals were given the opportunity to create a more striking final impression at the biggest international tournament.
Lamine Yamal and Rodri obtained what Kane lacks: a world championship title
Lamine Yamal and Rodri are among the players Petit placed ahead of Kane. Both won the World Cup with Spain after defeating Argentina in the final, thereby connecting their individual seasons with the greatest possible international trophy. Petit particularly highlighted Yamal's very good tournament, while saying that Rodri was once again the competition's best player. After the final, FIFA awarded Rodri the Golden Ball as the World Cup's best player, making his candidacy for another major individual honour exceptionally serious.
Rodri also enters this race as the winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or, so voters do not need any additional explanation of his influence on match control, the rhythm of play and team balance. His position as a defensive midfielder means that his contribution is measured not only through goals and assists, but also through his ability to connect defence and attack, protect space and make high-quality decisions under pressure. A World Cup at which he captained the champions and was officially named the best player gave him a combination of individual recognition and team success that Kane does not possess.
Yamal's candidacy rests on a different kind of impression. The young Barcelona forward was already among the most prominent players of his generation before the tournament, and the world title further increased the significance of his performances. Petit placed him among the leading candidates because of the quality he displayed on the biggest stage, where less is usually expected of young players than of established captains such as Kane. In voting that reacts strongly to creativity, dribbling, decisive actions and the symbolism of a new football generation, Yamal may hold an advantage that cannot be reduced solely to a goals table.
Messi remains in the conversation, but his club context raises questions about the criteria
The third name mentioned by Petit was Lionel Messi. Argentina reached the final and came close to defending their title, while Messi left a powerful mark on the tournament even at the age of 39. Petit acknowledged the quality of his tournament but simultaneously pointed out that he plays for Inter Miami. In doing so, he reopened the longstanding debate about how much voters should consider the differences between leagues, the rhythm of the club season and the level of daily competition compared with performances at the World Cup.
Messi's status as the record Ballon d'Or winner and his ability to continue influencing matches at major tournaments give him a level of importance possessed by almost no other candidate. Nevertheless, reputation alone should not be sufficient, and Petit warned that the final decision should not be commercial. His message can be interpreted as a call for voters to separate the player's historic greatness from a strict assessment of the 2025/26 season. Argentina lost the final to Spain, so Messi, like Kane, does not have the world title as a final argument, but he does have an appearance in the final and a tournament that further expanded his exceptional international legacy.
Kylian Mbappé is also part of the wider group of candidates, although Petit did not include him among the three players he placed ahead of Kane. The France striker finished the World Cup as the top scorer, while his club and international goals make him an unavoidable part of any serious discussion. That fact further demonstrates how open this year's selection is. Kane has the most impressive overall goalscoring season, Rodri has the world title and the award for the tournament's best player, Yamal combines the title with impressive individual performances, Messi led Argentina to the final, and Mbappé was the tournament's most prolific goalscorer.
The World Cup changed the hierarchy, but it did not erase the entire season
In a World Cup year, the final international tournament almost inevitably changes the perception of candidates. The reason is not only the prestige of the competition, but also the fact that over a few weeks the best players face one another under the pressure surrounding football's most-watched global event. One goal in a semi-final or final can remain in the collective memory more powerfully than a string of excellent league performances. Petit's argument fits perfectly into such a method of assessment: in his view, Kane's 61 club goals cannot compensate for the absence of a decisive contribution in the closing matches of the Champions League and the World Cup.
However, voters do not assess only a few evenings in July. The official Ballon d'Or criteria cover the entire season, individual quality, team results and player conduct. Kane's domestic double, European Golden Shoe and enormous number of goals therefore remain arguments that will be difficult to ignore. Even after England's elimination, some betting assessments and media rankings kept him among the leading favourites, although such markets are not an official indication of the voting and can change rapidly.
Ultimately, Petit did not prove that Kane cannot win the award; instead, he formulated a criterion according to which he should not win it. His position is based on the idea that individual dominance must be confirmed at the moment of greatest pressure. Kane's supporters may respond that a 61-goal season, accompanied by two trophies and six World Cup goals, is powerful enough even without a Champions League final or an international title. The decision will depend on whether voters attach greater weight to consistency across ten months or to a peak achieved in a handful of decisive matches.
Decision on 26 October in London
UEFA announced that the 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place in London on 26 October 2026, for the first time in the event's history. Until then, the debate surrounding Kane will probably revolve around the same contradiction: almost unreal goalscoring figures on the one hand and the absence of the biggest international or European trophy on the other. Petit has already taken a firm position and given the advantage to players who, in his opinion, left a stronger mark on the World Cup.
For Kane, the season is already historic regardless of the outcome of the voting. He became Europe's most prolific league goalscorer, won a domestic double, played in the Champions League semi-finals and reached the last four of the World Cup with England. Nevertheless, the debate opened by Petit demonstrates how standards change when assessing the best footballer of the year. What would be enough for almost any other player to call it the season of a lifetime may remain an unfinished story for a Ballon d'Or candidate if, in the final and most important matches, the title belongs to somebody else.
Sources:
- Sportskeeda - reported comments by Emmanuel Petit on Kane's candidacy and a summary of his World Cup performance (link)
- FIFA - official match report and statistics from the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina (link)
- FC Bayern München - data on Kane's season, his 61 goals, the European Golden Shoe and the domestic double (link)
- FC Bayern München - report on Kane's hat-trick in the DFB Cup final (link)
- UEFA - report and result from the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain (link)
- UEFA - explanation of the criteria used to select the Ballon d'Or winner (link)
- UEFA - official announcement of the date and venue of the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony (link)