Even though the Ballon d'Or ceremony is still more than a month away (October 26), the race for the prestigious accolade is heating up – at least in the media.Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, and Lamine Yamal, all among the favourites to win, have spoken out on the matter, with the latter two touting themselves as the best players in the world and deserving of the award.##LINKED_NEWS_68907##Meanwhile, the true leading contender, Harry Kane, was as modest as they come, coyly addressing his chances of winning the award in an interview with Spanish outlet Marca, admitting that he "never particularly liked talking about himself"."That's complicated.""The only thing I would say is that last season was incredible, both personally and as a team. It was by far the best season of my life. Scoring 73 goals—the second-highest number in history—speaks for itself. I'm incredibly proud of that," the Englisman said, as quoted by Kicker.##LINKED_NEWS_68973##And although the only tally better than Kane's 73 goals is Lionel Messi's incredible 82-goal campaign in the 2011/12 season, the striker is refusing to take anything for granted, unlike Mbappe and Yamal."The Ballon d'Or isn't in my hands. It depends on the people who vote."##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: The leading Ballon d’Or candidates on why they deserve to win the award:<br><br>🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal: “I think this year I DESERVE the Ballon d'Or."<br><br>🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé: “There isn't a SINGLE player who had a better season than me.”<br><br>🏴 Harry Kane: "It’s true that reaching 73… <a href="https://t.co/CBKQ5WC9gc">pic.twitter.com/CBKQ5WC9gc</a></p>— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) <a href="https://x.com/TouchlineX/status/2100821484944155066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##The fact that the ceremony will be held in Kane's hometown of London for the first time is something that pleases the 33-year-old."A lot of people have asked me about it; maybe it's a good omen. Of course, it would be even more special if the ceremony were held in my hometown."In the end, Kane touched on his current form, claiming that he was feeling exceptionally well on the pitch, despite entering the later stages of his career. ##LINKED_NEWS_68782##"I feel better physically and mentally than ever before.""I have to make the most of this moment because, as you get older, time doesn't last forever," he concluded.The next stop in Kane's bid to make every minute count will be tonight's clash against Union Berlin at the Allianz Arena (21.30). He's already scored four goals in six appearances this season, so extending his scoring spree against the visitors from the German capital would come as no surprise.BUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 4Friday21.30: (1.05) Bayern (14.0) Union Berlin (35.0)Saturday16.30: (2.35) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.60) Freiburg (2.85)16.30: (2.80) Hamburger (3.45) Koln (2.45)16.30: (3.00) M' gladbach (3.50) Mainz (2.30)16.30: (2.35) Werder (3.60) Augsburg (2.85)19.30: (2.40) Stuttgart (3.60) Dortmund (2.80)Sunday16.30: (2.00) Leverkusen (3.70) RB Leipzig (3.50)18.30: (2.05) Schalke (3.60) Elversberg (3.50)20.30: (4.55) Paderborn (4.45) Hoffenheim (1.65)***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-42-97464" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/42/season/97464/standings?widgetTitle=Bundesliga&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1043px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##
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