Harry Kane 'extremely proud' of Ballon d'Or nomination

The England captain's tally was the second-highest in a season in football history, behind only Lionel Messi's 82 goals in 2011/12. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, scored 69 that same season.

Kane said the scale of his achievement still surprises him, particularly given that Messi and Ronaldo were the players he grew up watching dominate the game.

"I grew up watching Messi and Ronaldo, the era of them just dominating and dominating," Kane told TNT Sports. "These are numbers that I just thought were silly, which they are. They are the two greatest of our generation and arguably of all time.

"So 73 goals, even for me, I am pretty amazed by that."

His performances have made Kane the bookmakers' favourite for the award, which would make him only the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or and the first since Michael Owen in 2001.

Owen sent Kane a message expressing his hope that the Bayern striker would join the exclusive group of English winners. Kane said hearing those words from a player he admired as a youngster made the achievement even more special.

"I'm extremely proud of the season I put up, for sure," he said. "Hearing players like Michael say that - I grew up watching Michael play and I was a massive England fan - I think it just fills me with pride."

Kane, who moved from Tottenham to Bayern in 2023, insists the final decision is now beyond his control.

"Of course, now it is out of my hands, it is down to the voters and the people who decide it," he said. "The season I had was my best season by far, and we'll have to wait and see.

"I'm happy that I am in contention."

Despite his remarkable campaign, Kane has already turned his attention towards improving this season, with Bayern having opened their Bundesliga campaign with a 5-1 win over Stuttgart before being held to a goalless draw by Schalke.

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