“Como também tem a ver com magia e aparência, vou dizer Lamine Yamal,” Kramer added. His view captures the divide at the heart of the debate.
Yamal represents the modern glamour of the award: a fearless young winger capable of changing a match with invention and personality. Kane offers a different case. His value is built around finishing, link-up play, leadership and the ability to make an entire attack function.
Kramer also defended the journalists who decide the award, saying: “Os jornalistas obviamente também entendem de futebol.” The point is not that one group understands football better, but that coaches and journalists may judge excellence through different lenses.
Bayern Munich has experienced this tension before. In 2013, Franck Ribéry finished third despite helping the club complete a historic treble. Cristiano Ronaldo won the award, with Lionel Messi second, leaving Ribéry as one of the most prominent modern examples of a player whose team achievements did not guarantee individual recognition.
Kramer’s preference for Kane reflects that history. “Como treinador, Harry Kane é o jogador que você mais gostaria de ter no seu time,” he said, describing the striker as more valuable to Bayern than any other player might be to his team.
Real Madrid endured a similar controversy in 2024, when representatives reportedly stayed away from the ceremony after learning that Vinícius Júnior was expected to finish behind Rodri. The episode underlined how fiercely clubs now follow the award and how quickly voting decisions can become a wider football argument.
The next Ballon d’Or storyline will therefore be about more than Yamal against Kane. It will ask whether voters reward the season’s most dazzling individual or the player coaches believe they could least afford to lose.