Kane puts Champions League glory ahead of Ballon d’Or win

Harry Kane says he would trade his 2026 Ballon d’Or for a Champions League trophy with Bayern Munich. The striker spoke in Madrid on Monday ahead of Bayern’s league-phase match against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Kane was named the world’s best player last week, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. He called the award a career highlight but said sharing success with his teammates mattered more.

Team success comes first

“Team trophies are why we play football. The team aspect of our sport is really, really important,” Kane told reporters in the Spanish capital.

He described winning the Ballon d’Or as “one of the best feelings” of his life and career, while saying that lifting the Champions League with Bayern would bring a different kind of celebration. “I would choose the Champions League, but I have the opportunity to do both – let’s see what happens,” he said.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone called Kane an “incredible player” and “very good for football” before the match. Kane thanked Simeone for the praise but acknowledged that the coach would try to stop him and Bayern on Tuesday.

A return to a painful venue

Tuesday’s match takes Kane back to Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium, where he played for Tottenham in their defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final. The stadium is also due to host this season’s final.

“You have good memories in stadiums, sometimes you don’t – hopefully we can have a good memory tomorrow,” Kane said on Monday. He added that he would return there next week with England to face Spain and hoped to be back at the venue for the Champions League final.

Bayern have won only one of their first three league-phase games, drawing against Arsenal and Viking.

Bayern’s immediate plans

Kane also said he was close to agreeing a new deal with Bayern. His current contract expires in June 2027, and when asked how near an agreement was, he replied: “I’d say it’s more days (than weeks)… we’re extremely close now.”

Assistant coach Aaron Danks will stand in for Vincent Kompany, who is absent through illness. Kompany was released last week after five days in hospital following a collapse in training and a diagnosis of meningeal irritation.

Danks said Michael Olise and Manuel Neuer were available after injury issues. He also said his priority in Kompany’s absence was to preserve the team’s established processes and identity, adding: “So no, not too much will change.”