Chris Waddle Argued That Harry Kane Should Win the 2026 Ballon D'or

Kane’s case is the individual case

Waddle’s central argument is simple: the award is for one player, not a squad.

• Kane remains the kind of forward who can dominate a season through finishing, movement and leadership.
• At Bayern, he is expected to carry enormous attacking responsibility every week.
• With England, he is still judged at the highest international level, often more harshly than almost anyone else.

“And Harry Kane, from my eyes, should lift it,” Waddle said. That view will resonate with anyone who believes individual excellence should matter more than the medal count.

The old Ballon d'Or problem

This is where the debate always sharpens. Too often, the Ballon d'Or appears to become a team award by another name. If a club wins the Champions League or a nation lands the World Cup, its leading names tend to surge to the front of the queue.

That does not always feel wrong, but it can feel lazy. A player can be the best in the world without ending the year in the confetti. Football is too complex, and too collective, for every failure to land on one star’s shoulders.

Why Lamine Yamal is part of the discussion

Waddle reportedly contrasted Kane with Lamine Yamal, suggesting tournament success could tilt the conversation. That is not criticism of Yamal, whose talent is obvious, but it does underline the wider point: reputation, timing and team silverware often shape this prize as much as pure performance.

The next few months will decide whether that pattern holds. If Kane keeps producing for Bayern and England, the noise around the 2026 Ballon d'Or will only grow louder - and so will the question of what the award is really meant to reward.