Harry Kane 'deserves' Ballon d'Or - Steven Gerrard explains how England and Bayern Munich star can clinch it

The Bayern Munich front man faces stiff competition in the race for football's most prestigious individual honour, with Lamine Yamal, Declan Rice and team-mate Michael Olise all tipped to challenge for the award.

But with a second Bundesliga title under his belt as part of a record-shattering Bayern side, and with a DFB-Pokal final against Stuttgart to come, Gerrard believes Kane is making a watertight case for himself - despite Bayern being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain 6-5 on aggregate in the last four.

There are a few things the forward, who has thus far netted a staggering 54 goals in all competitions for Bayern, needs to tick off his list before he can call the Ballon d'Or his, according to Gerrard.

"More goals, more top performances. I think if he can add another medal come the end of the season, I think that would be huge. I think that probably puts one hand on it for him," Gerrard said before the second leg against PSG, which ended 1-1 as Kane's late goal proved too little too late for the Bavarians.

"Then, if he was to go away with England and have a successful tournament in terms of goals and where England gets to in the competition, I think he would strengthen his case.

"He's someone who likes to come and link the play, game intelligence, volume of goals, absolute quality; he can score from distance, a humble guy, top professional - that's Harry Kane.

Gerrard added: "He's got to be hungry now to get as many trophies as he can because he is getting a little bit older and he's got to go and try and have a successful tournament with England.

"And I'd love nothing better than to see him be successful from now until the end of the season, and get the individual award that he will crave.

"In the back of his mind, he'll want that and he deserves it."

Kane reached five major finals - two in the UEFA European Championship, two in the League Cup, and one in the UEFA Champions League - before winning his first piece of team silverware: the 2024/25 Bundesliga.

Along with a raft of individual accolades, including three Premier League Golden Boots and six inclusions in the PFA Team of the Year, the 32-year-old is now starting to build a glittering trophy cabinet.

But Gerrard thinks that Kane's move to Germany arrived "too late" despite his long-term loyalty to Tottenham Hotspur.

Gerrard said: "I think this was the perfect move for him, probably slightly too late in his career, if you think of it from a selfish point of view in terms of Harry, because he could've left Tottenham at any time.

"There would've been takers for him all over the world. He could have left three or four years earlier and he would have had a healthier trophy cabinet, if you like.

"But I think he was loyal to Tottenham, very loyal. But he's come to a giant of a club, a monster of a club, where it's about winning. The bread and butter is about when you have to win, and they're always at the latter stages of every competition."

Now at a club where a potential Ballon d'Or is within reach, Gerrard hailed Kane's leadership qualities off the pitch, as the England captain prepares to fly to his third FIFA World Cup.

"I think he's the perfect professional. I've been lucky enough to have a couple of conversations with Harry. I don't know him that well personally but everyone who speaks about him or has been around him or is close, speak volumes of him," said Gerrard.

"I'm talking about your Jordan Hendersons, James Milners, Gareth Southgates, Steve Hollands, they've got nothing but praise for this guy, on and off the pitch.

"He's a top leader. He's a technical leader. I don't think he's a vocal leader; he leads by his standards, the way he plays, his hunger for goals."

And former Bayern Munich and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves concurred with his ex-international team-mate, adding that he believes the German champions were shocked by his unassuming nature when he joined.

Hargreaves said: "I think this club [Bayern Munich] has had some world-class strikers over the years, but I don't think they could believe how humble Harry Kane is as a person.

"Obviously he's a brilliant football player and he's getting better and better and he's playing with better players; that's why those numbers are ridiculous.

"But actually, as a person he's a class act and in the biggest moments, he rises. The numbers that he's scored, it's actually staggering and he actually seems to be getting better."

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