Harry Kane ‘underappreciated’, Cole Palmer ‘elite’ – TNT Sports pundits Joe Cole and Lucy Ward react to Ballon d’Or

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England stars Harry Kane and Cole Palmer were the two players TNT Sports pundits Joe Cole and Lucy Ward wanted to discuss after the Ballon d'Or - with the pair finishing 13th and eighth respectively. Kane was heralded as 'underappreciated' as he broke yet another record at Bayern Munich on Friday night, while Palmer was placed in the 'elite' class after helping Chelsea win the Club World Cup.

'You underappreciate him' - Pundits discuss Kane, Palmer Ballon d'Or ranks

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We are now almost a week on from the 2025 Ballon d’Or but the reaction has not finished yet.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele claimed the award ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal after a sensational year which saw him guide the French side to the treble.

Dembele’s teammate Vitinha finished third, while Mo Salah capped off a brilliant season for Liverpool with his highest finish in fourth, and Barcelona forward Raphinha finished fifth.

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Ahead of Brentford’s impressive 3-1 Premier League win over Manchester United on Saturday, though, TNT Sports' co-commentator Lucy Ward and pundit Joe Cole were interested in a couple of players who finished further down the pecking order.

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who Cole had previously said was "right up there with the very best", and Harry Kane took their interest after their eighth and 13th placed finishes.

Palmer dazzled for the London side last year, scoring 18 goals and providing 14 assists in 52 matches in all competitions, as Chelsea won both the UEFA Conference League and the Club World Cup, whilst a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League saw them return to the UEFA Champions League after a two-year hiatus.

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It has been a less than ideal start to this season for Palmer, with injury limiting his minutes.

Former Chelsea midfielder Cole hoped that incumbent No.10 Palmer would take his top-10 Ballon d’Or finish as a slight boost during a difficult period.

"He is there, he is in that elite level of players, so I am happy for him that he got that," Cole said on Palmer.

"These individual awards are wonderful; man of the matches, player of tournaments, they are great - they are not the be all and end all.

"They are nice and it is really nice for Cole Palmer that he is recognised, and I think it will give him a little boost."

Ward added: "About Cole Palmer, he hasn’t got a reputation yet or a narrative around him, so people voted for him simply because of his output and what he did on the pitch and that will build his little narrative and reputation will build. He is such a good player."

Kane, meanwhile, made history on Friday night in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over Werder Bremen, as he became the fastest player to reach 100 goals for one club in the 21st century.

England’s all-time top goalscorer took just 104 matches to reach a century of goals for Bayern, beating Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo’s 105, achieved at Manchester City and Real Madrid respectively.

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Kane finally won his first major trophy when lifting the Bundesliga last season and Ward suggested the 32-year-old has actually become underrated.

"I think you under-appreciate Harry Kane, he is such a good goalscorer and I think he is getting better as he gets older," Ward said.

"He knows where to put himself, he is playing in a team where he gets a lot of chances as well, but certainly a top, top player."

Cole, meanwhile, acknowledged that while the team is set up perfectly for Kane in Munich, the sheer number of goals he scores cannot be ignored.

"It’s a dream for him out there. We watched Bayern Munich, I covered them in the Champions League," said Cole.

"If Harry Kane could build the tactics of the team, players around him, how he wanted to play, they have done it exactly - it is literally perfect for him and he is scoring goals.

"It is what he does, put him in front of the net, he bangs it in."

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