{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreifgaqyawdxzxjsqgvq2r7ietxifb44w77m4lox4fvu2oxxy22k5vy",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:oznbnvgr7dmvddiyvr7dih52/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpnveouw4432"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreigz6ninmlmkoso5h6whj33lqxrxk362lud6jjo575ka2xsp4rthpm"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 320865
  },
  "path": "/sport/football/harry-kane-england-ballon-dor-world-cup",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-02T10:17:26.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "World Cup: England come from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1 and qualify for last 16",
    "England come from behind to beat DR Congo and qualify for last 16 as Harry Kane scores brace",
    "Rory McIlroy takes in Wimbledon action with wife Erica Stoll and Ryder Cup teammates",
    "pic.twitter.com/sVidod2tPf",
    "July 1, 2026",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter",
    "@BBCSport"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nHarry Kane is no longer just knocking on the Ballon d'Or door. He's battering it down.\n\nFor years the England captain has carried the unfair tag of being football's nearly man. Not anymore.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAfter a sensational campaign with Bayern Munich and another masterclass on the biggest stage of all, Kane has built a compelling case to become the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to lift football's most prestigious individual prize.\n\nHis latest statement came when England needed him most.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWith the Three Lions staring at a shock World Cup exit against DR Congo, Kane produced what great players always do.\n\nTwo goals in the final 15 minutes turned despair into jubilation, sealing a dramatic 2-1 comeback and booking England's place in the last 16. It was the captain dragging his country over the line once again.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * World Cup: England come from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1 and qualify for last 16\n  * England come from behind to beat DR Congo and qualify for last 16 as Harry Kane scores brace\n  * Rory McIlroy takes in Wimbledon action with wife Erica Stoll and Ryder Cup teammates\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAnd the numbers are simply outrageous.\n\nKane has now scored 72 goals for club and country this season, including 61 for Bayern Munich and 11 for England.\n\nHe has added seven assists, won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup, claimed the European Golden Shoe and has become the most prolific striker in world football.\n\nAt this World Cup alone, Kane has five goals in four matches, putting him firmly in the Golden Boot race.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n> HARRY KANE FIRES ENGLAND AHEAD! ⚽🔥\n>\n> The captain's sensational strike puts the Three Lions 2-1 up against DR Congo 🚀✨ pic.twitter.com/sVidod2tPf\n>\n> — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 1, 2026\n\nHis brace against DR Congo took his England tally to an astonishing 84 international goals, extending his own national record, while his overall World Cup haul has climbed to 13 goals – comfortably surpassing Gary Lineker's previous England record of 10.\n\nThe Ballon d'Or has often been criticised for favouring fashionable names over relentless excellence.\n\nYes, Kylian Mbappe dazzles. Erling Haaland is a goalscoring machine. Lamine Yamal is football's brightest young star. But none can match the complete package Kane has delivered over the past 12 months.\n\nHe isn't just scoring tap-ins. He's dropping deep, creating chances, leading the press, captaining England and delivering when the pressure is unbearable. Against DR Congo, England looked beaten until Kane decided otherwise. That's what Ballon d'Or winners do.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nEven historically, Kane's campaign belongs in elite company. He has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo's greatest goalscoring season, smashed Bundesliga scoring records and continues rewriting England's record books almost every time he pulls on the shirt.\n\nThere is still plenty of football to be played, and if England go deep into this World Cup, Kane's case will become almost impossible to ignore.\n\nFootball loves flair, tricks and viral moments. But the Ballon d'Or is supposed to reward the best player on the planet.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThis season, nobody has been more decisive, more consistent or more clinical than Harry Kane.\n\nIf the award truly recognises excellence rather than reputation, there should only be one name on the envelope when the votes are counted. Harry Kane deserves the Ballon d'Or.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Should Harry Kane win the Ballon d'Or? England hero's incredible season in numbers"
}