Kane would swap Ballon d'Or for Champions League victory

What the report says

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane said he would trade his Ballon d'Or for a Champions League winner's medal, putting team success ahead of individual honours. The comments came in Madrid before Bayern’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid, shortly after Kane became the first Englishman since 2001 to win the Ballon d'Or. BBC Sport said he beat Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to the award.

Kane described the past week as emotional and said the Ballon d'Or was one of the best moments of his career, but he stressed that lifting the European Cup with Bayern would mean more. He said the chance to celebrate a major trophy with team-mates and supporters is his main motivation. The BBC also reported that he is expected to sign a new Bayern contract in the near future, with discussions said to be close to completion.

The striker joined Bayern from Tottenham in August 2023 and has since become a central figure for the German club. BBC Sport noted that Bayern had already paid tribute to him after the award, and that the club has not had a Ballon d'Or winner since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. Kane also said Bayern are coping with the absence of head coach Vincent Kompany, who is recovering after collapsing at training, though assistant Aaron Danks has been overseeing first-team duties.