A scoring spree for Bayern Munich's Harry Kane positions him as an early contender for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Harry Kane's impressive start to the 2025-26 season continued on Tuesday, when Bayern Munich defeated Pafos FC 5-1 at the Alpgamega Stadium.
The English striker scored twice in the 15th and 34th minutes, with additional goals from Raphael Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Michael Olise helping Vincent Kompany's team secure yet another victory.
The Bavarians have won every match across all competitions this season, claiming nine wins in three tournaments, both domestically and in Europe.
Kompany's side have scored two or more goals in each of those games, and Tuesday marked the third consecutive match in which Die Bayern netted four or more goals, having previously scored four against Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen and reaching five in Tuesday's European fixture.
Kane's record has undeniably drawn attention, with the Englishman, who recently surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland as the fastest to reach a century of goals in a big-five European league following his brace against Bremen last week.
Is Kane making an early push for the Ballon d'Or?
By scoring twice in Bayern's latest victory, Kane has now scored at least two goals in five consecutive matches for Kompany's team, a run that began with a brace against Hamburg.
The 32-year-old has since netted two goals in the 3-1 Champions League win over Chelsea, a hat-trick against Hoffenheim and braces against Bremen and Pafos.
Furthermore, the Englishman has scored or assisted in every match this season, with his latest strikes bringing him to 17 goal involvements -- 14 goals and three assists.
Such a blistering start to the season is probably unsustainable; however, it positions the striker as an early contender for the Ballon d'Or in 2026, with the dust still settling on Ousmane Dembele's win of the 2025 award.
Ending England's wait for a winner since Michael Owen's 2001 victory will require top performances for Bayern in Europe as well as exemplary showings for the Three Lions at the 2026 World Cup.
Who can compete with Kane for the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
While it is still early to discuss the Ballon d'Or, considering the season is in its beginning stages, some forwards across Europe have already begun the season impressively.
Although Kane is leading the scoring charts across Europe, closely behind Bayern's 10-goal top scorer are Kylian Mbappe and Haaland, both of whom have scored eight goals in La Liga and the Premier League respectively.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick for Real Madrid against Kairat, bringing his total to five Champions League goals this season -- one more than Kane and four more than Haaland, who may add to his tally in Manchester City's matchday two encounter with Monaco on Wednesday.
Given the low chances of Norway competing for next year's World Cup, Kane and Mbappe are undoubtedly the early contenders for next year's Ballon d'Or, even though there is still a long way to go before Dembele's successor is decided.
ID:582671:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6248: Written by
Anthony BrownNo Data Analysis info