Henry backs Mbappé over Kane for 2026 Ballon d'Or
Thierry Henry has picked Kylian Mbappé as his choice for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, arguing the Frenchman's sustained scoring across LaLiga, the Champions League and the World Cup outweighs Harry Kane's 73-goal season. Henry said Kane was not clearly the outstanding player for Bayern or England, per AS.
Bottom line — Mbappé scored 58 goals and 14 assists for Real Madrid and France, per AS.
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- Henry made the case during CBS Sports' Champions League coverage, per AS.
- Kane scored 61 times in 51 Bayern games plus six at the World Cup, and won a domestic treble, per AS.
- Henry noted Michael Olise was named Bundesliga Player of the Season, while Jude Bellingham was England's most influential at the World Cup, per AS.
- Kane was separately voted Germany's Footballer of the Year by sports journalists, ahead of Olise, per AS.
- Mbappé became France's all-time leading scorer and surpassed Messi's World Cup career goals record, per AS.
- Henry admitted he would have backed Messi had Argentina won the final, per AS.
- Erling Haaland also made the 30-player shortlist with 58 goals for Manchester City and Norway, per AS.
- The winner will be announced at the London Palladium on October 26, per AS.