Harry Kane, Ballon d'Or favorite, could end Bayern's 45-year wait

Harry Kane is on the verge of ending the long Ballon d'Or drought of Bayern Munich, Deutsche Welle writes. The Bayern striker is seen as the favorite for the award ceremony on Monday, which this year takes place in his home city of London rather than Paris.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who won the award in 1981, is still the last Bayern winner. Across the Bundesliga the last triumph dates back even further: Matthias Sammer won it in 1996 as a Borussia Dortmund player. “Of course it is special for me that the ceremony is in London. I'm from London and lived there for a long time. Maybe it's a good omen,” Kane told Bayern's club magazine Säbener51.

The case for Kane

The main rival is Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who after winning the European Championship also won the World Cup with Spain and the La Liga title. For Kane speak the numbers: 73 goals for club and country last season and 156 goals in 158 competitive games since joining Bayern.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany sees far more in Kane than a finisher: “In England many saw him mainly as a goalscorer. We have experienced other qualities, such as his exceptional game intelligence. He is like good wine that gets better with age.” In the 2-2 Champions League draw with Arsenal Kane scored and set up Alphonso Davies's goal.

A career that was not straightforward

England coach Thomas Tuchel and Bayern's Serge Gnabry praised Kane's mentality. In England Kane scored 213 goals in 320 Premier League games. After his first professional contract at Tottenham he was loaned out several times before his breakthrough. With Bayern he won two German championships, two German Supercups and one DFB-Pokal, while his major goal remains a trophy with the national team. More in sports.