Harry Kane tipped to win Ballon d'Or with Bayern Munich as club legend explains what 'impresses' him most about English striker

Matthaus has tipped Kane to win a future Ballon d'Or, provided he can lead the German giants to Champions League glory. Writing in a column for Sky on the day of the 2025 award ceremony, the former player explained that it is Kane's creative ability, not just his goals, that is most impressive.

The England captain has been in sensational form at the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Kane, 32, has scored an astonishing eight goals and provided three assists in just four Bundesliga appearances, taking his total tally for the season to 13 goals in seven games across all competitions for the club. At the weekend, the ex-Tottenham striker netted three goals against Hoffenheim to enhance his perfect start.

Despite this year's main Ballon d'Or contenders being Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal, the Bayern legend believes Kane could soon be in the conversation. "Perhaps Harry Kane would be one of those, too, if Bayern Munich manage to get further in the Champions League than they have recently," he wrote. "His performances for Bayern are still fantastic. Especially because of his many goals, of course, but what impresses me most are the assists he provides. These are assists from a playmaker or pacesetter. That's what makes Bayern so difficult to predict at the moment."

The column also addressed persistent rumours linking Kane with a return to the Premier League to break Alan Shearer's all-time goalscoring record. The German icon, however, gave a firm recommendation for the striker to remain in Bavaria. 

"There are repeated rumors that Kane might return to England next summer... but I would recommend Kane stay at Bayern Munich," he stated. "He's never been better, and here he's made an even bigger impact... he should finish his career at Bayern."

While Kane is not in the running for the award being presented in Paris on Monday evening, the praise from a club icon sets a clear target for his tenure in Germany. The striker's immediate focus will be on maintaining his prolific form to spearhead Bayern's domestic and European challenges, with the ultimate individual accolades now seen as a tangible goal should he deliver major silverware.