Robert Lewandowski Then, Harry Kane Now: Ballon d'Or's Lingering Disrespect For Bundesliga

Ousmane Dembele might be a deserved winner of the Ballon d'Or 2025, having played a pivotal role in Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League title run in 2024-25 campaign, but Harry Kane' shock ranking at 13th position, shocked the purists of the game. Fresh off a spectacular title-winning season for Bayern Munich, Kane's ranking reminded Bundesliga fans of the injustice that Bayern players have been quite used to. Be it Frank Ribery's case, after winning the 2013 UEFA Champions League or Robert Lewandowski's snub in 2020 and 2021, the disrespect that Bayern players are often subjected to in the Ballon d'Or rankings isn't new.

When it comes to the Ballon d'Or Rankings, it is quite clear that even Generational, record-breaking brilliance in the Bundesliga wouldn't be enough for a player to earn the highest individual honour in the game.

The Kane Conundrum: 55 Goal Contributions, 13th Place

Harry Kane's debut season at Bayern Munich in 2024/25 was nothing short of sensational. While is prolific goalscoring nature was known to all during his time with the Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, he took to the Bundesliga like fish to water. Kane not only met the extraordinary expectations placed upon him as a successor to Rober Lewandowski, but with every passing game, he started to exceed them.

His individual output was among the best in world football, yet his 13th-place ranking is baffling, forcing a comparison with players who were nowhere close to him if statistics are to be considered.

Kane concluded the 2024-25 season with 55 goal contributions (41 Goals, 14 Assists).

Harry Kane Robbed In Ballon d'Or Rankings? Ask Robert Lewandowski

As soon as the Ballon d'Or rankings came out, fans rightly protested Kane's position. The Englishman was genuinely one of the most effective attacking players in the world. Falling outside the top 10, especially behind players with considerably fewer direct goal involvements, undermines his contribution.

The disrespect for Kane feels like a direct continuation of the narrative that swirled around Lewandowski just a few years ago, in a saga that saw the award's credibility taking a serious hit.

The 2020 Cancellation

In the 2019/20 season, Lewandowski delivered one of the most complete individual performances in football history, powering Bayern Munich to a historic sextuple, winning all possible honours there were to offer. That year, France Football decided to cancel the Ballon d'Or altogether, citing Covid-19 pandemic as a reason.

The 2021 Setback

When the event returned in 2021, Lewandowski was denied the top podium spot by Lionel Messi despite produced a statistically better show than the Argentine great.

Messi was named the best player in the world that year because of his Copa America honour, despite the fact that Lewandowski recorded an extraordinary 1.41 goal contributions per game. The Bundesliga bias was evident.

Bundesliga Is Underrated And Overlooked. It's A Fact

The parallels between Lewandowski and Kane are too stark to ignore. Had any of these top strikers done as good for another team in the Spanish La Liga or the Premier League, the entire world would've rooted for them to be crowned 'the best in the world'. But, their performances in domestic competitions and the UEFA Champions League, simply don't carry the same weight if they play for a German club.

The issue isn't a lack of brilliance in Germany but a long-standing bias that sees those in the powers voting against the "Bundesliga Brand."

With Harry Kane scoring 17 goals and 3 assists in 12 matches so far in the 2025-26 campaign, for both club and country, the Englishman is off to an unprecedented start. Fans are keeping their fingers crossed to see him continue doing the same for the remainder of the campaign. But, would that be enough for even secure a podium spot in the Ballon d'Or rankings next year? For France Football, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembele, etc. might simply be 'more relevant'.

Topics mentioned in this article

Bayern München Harry Kane Robert Lewandowski Football