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Former Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris hails 'role model' Harry Kane after Ballon d'Or triumph

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World Cup winner salutes striker

Lloris was thrilled to watch his long-time attacking partner claim football's top individual prize alongside the Gerd Muller Trophy at the London Palladium on October 26. Now 33, the Englishman beat Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal to become his country's first winner in 25 years. That accolade followed a 73-goal campaign, a Bundesliga title and a World Cup third-place finish with England.

Decade together forged lasting respect

After Kane rose through the Spurs ranks in 2009 and completed several loan spells, he became a permanent first-team colleague of Lloris - who arrived in August 2012 - from mid-2013 until joining Bayern in August 2023. The 39-year-old shot-stopper subsequently moved to Los Angeles FC in December 2023.

Speaking to L'Equipe, the former France captain lauded his ex-colleague's all-round development: "I'm happy for him. It's great to see a former team-mate win the Ballon d'Or, at home in London. He has an extraordinarily complete skill set, which he has honed season after season. Today, he can do everything: short passes, long passes, tackling, tracking back to defend, and he is undoubtedly the best player in the penalty area."

Selfless attitude sets forward apart

Unlike many elite stars, the striker never courted media campaigns to boost his credentials, a trait that impressed Lloris deeply as he compared him to previous winners Ousmane Dembele and Karim Benzema.

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Reflecting on the forward's character and team ethic, Lloris added: "He doesn't chase the limelight. He owes this Ballon d'Or to his sheer professionalism and humility. He is a role model in our sport.

Premier League Matches

"Ousmane Dembele's Ballon d'Or previously rewarded a team-first player, just like Karim Benzema in 2022. Harry is far more than just a goalscoring machine."

Domestic cup precedes Klassiker showdown

Having already registered 10 goals and seven assists across 12 outings in all competitions this term, Kane will quickly turn his attention back to club matters with Bayern. The Bavarians welcome Magdeburg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday evening looking to advance smoothly. Following that midweek cup tie, they host arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in a mouth-watering Bundesliga matchday eight clash on Saturday, October 31.

Adhe has previously worked for ESPN Star Sports, Fox Sports, and FIFA.

Manchester United was Adhe's first love, and he has since been covering the Premier League and European football for GOAL.

Adhe's favorite football memory is covering the Indonesia vs. Netherlands match at GBK in 2013, and randomly meeting Radja Nainggolan in the stands of Sultan Agung Stadium, Bantul, when the former Inter player was playing for Bhayangkara FC.

Adhe's areas of expertise after over a decade and thousands of football matches:

  • Deep knowledge of both Indonesian and European football
  • Premier League analysis
  • Covering a wide range of editorial topics

Adhe's All-Time XI (4-1-2-3) Edwin van der Sar; Dani Alves, Paolo Maldini, Nemanja Vidic, Roberto Carlos; Roy Keane; Xavi, Paul Scholes; Lionel Messi, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo.