Harry Kane is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or. Having spent the past week talking to some of the key figures at Bayern Munich – as well as Kane himself – it is apparent that clinching this award is as important to the German club as it is the England captain.
Speaking to Christoph Freund, Bayern's sporting director, just before their win over Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, he was emphatic on the subject. "I think he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. He played an outstanding season."
Putting that question to Rouven Kasper, a member of Bayern's executive board, he went further. "It can only be Harry Kane. We can just give it to Harry." Bayern are pushing for this Ballon d'Or and - with a new deal on the table - want to be seen to be pushing for it.
Asking Kane about that after the win in Dortmund, he recognises it too. "I feel the love from this club, I know how much they appreciate me. Not just my goals but I think my all-round game and also me as a person in the changing room as well, the whole package."
Kane has never ranked higher than 10th in the Ballon d'Or voting but this is his best chance yet. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the outstanding player in the Champions League but missed the World Cup. Lamine Yamal lifted that trophy but had a quiet tournament.
In the absence of an obvious candidate, and with Kane having won the double with Bayern last season, sheer weight of numbers could work in his favour. He finished well clear of his rivals Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in winning the European Golden Shoe.
Kasper has all the facts. "Seventy-three goals in 64 games. A hat-trick in the cup final." It took just 78 Bundesliga matches for Kane's 100th goal contribution. "The shortest time in history." He scored six goals at the World Cup for England too.
"We think there is no way around him this year. When you just focus on statistics, there cannot be anybody else. It does not matter if somebody from Real Madrid wants their player to be there." That is a reference to the importance that Madrid tend to put on this prize.
The museum at the Bernabeu houses replicas of the Ballons d'Or won by their players and they infamously opted not to attend the ceremony when Vinicius Junior lost out to Rodri. Being where the game's most acclaimed players play is part of Madrid's identity.
In contrast, it is 45 years since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won the Ballon d'Or. No Bayern player has claimed the prize since. Robert Lewandowski was denied it in 2020 when no award was made due to the pandemic. A mere trinket? Dismissing it would be a mistake.
Because that is not the view within the club. "It means a lot also for Bayern Munich," said Freund, "when you have one of the best players in the world playing in your team. We will see what's coming, but in the end it would be a great thing for everybody."
Although Bayern talk of having overtaken Real Madrid as the most successful club in Europe based on coefficient points won over the last 10 years, that is about consistency not glory. Similarly, the team is often seen as being about the collective not the individual.
An aim now is to change that perception and be regarded as a club where the great players can win the great individual prizes too.
"Maybe in the last decades we did not have that one outstanding player," concedes Kasper. Now they just might. And that means "from a brand perspective a different kind of position" that Bayern could occupy in the European landscape. The home of the best.
He explains: "Being a platform for a Ballon d'Or winner is something which counts more than statistics. If you have a player like this, it would be a big honour as well for the club. And for sure it would also push our activities globally. It is a strong sign for others."
Hence the big push. This is not an attempt to paint Kane as cynical. He has long been affable with the media whether in victory or defeat. But there is an awareness of the need to play the game. The Ballon d'Or is voted for by international journalists, after all.
On Saturday, late into the night, he was there patiently answering questions. A Mexican journalist wanting to talk about that World Cup game. "Big credit to the Mexican fans." A reporter after his thoughts on his vast Indian audience. "I appreciate all their support."
In a sense, it is typical Kane. Here is a man who diligently does all that he can to give himself the best chance of success in every area of his life. This is no different. And so to his final words before stepping onto the team bus out of Dortmund at the weekend.
"I feel very privileged and also with the fans, the way they have taken to me in these few years has been really special. My aim is to repay them with some goals and some trophies." Now everyone at Bayern is going all out to repay Harry Kane with a trophy of his own.
