Olise and Kane Shine in Munich – Ballon d'Or Debate Heats Up
On a night when Bayern Munich toyed with their visitors at the Allianz Arena, two names towered above the rest. Michael Olise and Harry Kane turned a routine league game into a personal showcase, a statement evening in the middle of a Ballon d'Or campaign they both claim to want no part of.
Olise walked away with the match ball after the first hat-trick of his professional career. Kane added two more goals to his already absurd tally. Between them, they shredded an overmatched Berlin side and, in the process, strengthened their cases for football’s most glamorous individual prize.
Both are already on the 30-man shortlist. Both are expected to feature prominently in the voting after last season’s numbers and trophies. Nights like this do not hurt.
“Among the best in the world”
Bayern sporting director Max Eberl knows the circus around the Golden Ball is only just beginning. Asked after the game about Olise’s Ballon d'Or chances, he initially tried to play it down, calling it “difficult” and “a subjective assessment”.
Then he cut through the noise.
“He definitely belongs in the circle of (possible) Ballon d'Or winners too,” Eberl said. Kane, in his eyes, already had “a great chance anyway”, but Olise is rapidly joining that elite. “Michael is also working his way into that group with the way he plays football. So for me he definitely belongs among the best footballers in the world.”
On this evidence, it was hard to argue. Jamal Musiala, who opened the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark, simply called the Frenchman’s level “outstanding” on Sky. That felt like an understatement.
From first whistle to last, Olise ran the game. The three goals were the headline, but not the whole story. He dictated tempo, drifted into pockets Berlin never managed to close, and finished with the swagger of a player who knows every touch is being watched – and weighed – by voters across Europe.
Yamal’s jab, Kane’s answer
Far from Munich, the Ballon d'Or battle had already been simmering. Some clubs and stars have long since started their own campaigns ahead of the gala at the Palladium Theatre in London on 26 October.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, a world champion and one of the award’s youngest and loudest contenders, made his stance clear in an interview with Movistar Plus. His words were widely read as a dig at Golden Shoe winner Kane, who finished last season with 73 goals.
“The Ballon d’Or should go to the best player in the world, full stop. It should not go to a player who has scored 80 goals,” Yamal said.
He doubled down on the distinction.
“If you score 80 goals, you get the season's top-scorer award. Those are very different things that people do not understand. The best player in the world is the one where, as a commentator, you watch a game and enjoy watching him. He is a player who is different from everyone else.”
The comments inevitably found their way to Munich. Eberl did not bother dressing up his response.
“There has to be campaigning. The best players are the ones who do not need campaigning,” he said.
Kane, the man at the centre of the storm, stayed true to his public persona: dry, measured, unflustered.
“You do not know exactly how he meant it. People have their own assumptions about it. Ultimately, everyone is different,” Kane said when asked about Yamal’s remarks. “Yamal is an incredible player and had a great season, but so did many others. There are so many players who have had a great season behind them. I think that is why there may be even more discussion about it this year than usual, because there are so many candidates.”
No counterpunch. No headline-grabbing barb. Just a reminder of the depth of the field.
“Everyone has the right to speak however they want. You know me, I prefer to let my performances on the pitch do the talking for me. I answer on the pitch,” he continued. “I do not like talking a lot about myself, but everyone is different. There is no right or wrong. Others have to judge that. It is not in my hands, but in the hands of the voters.”
Instead of trading shots, he pointed back to the body of work that put him in this conversation in the first place.
“I am extremely proud of what I achieved last year – not just the goals, but also the titles won, the cup final and the return of the Meisterschale to Munich. All these things – including some of the World Cup matches – will stay with me for the rest of my life. So overall it was simply a fantastic season,” Kane said.
Kompany’s verdict and Zidane’s call
On the touchline, Vincent Kompany watched Olise turn training-ground routines into prime-time highlights. The Bayern coach was quick to underline that none of it happened by accident.
“Michael scores these goals, but he has also worked a lot on these finishes in training. Even the top players need more than just talent,” Kompany said.
The pressure finally told on Berlin long before the final whistle. By then, Olise had already done enough to shift the conversation from “talent” to “star”. His performance earned him a top mark from SPOX (rating 1), the kind of grade reserved for evenings when everything clicks.
Now his stage widens again.
Next up is the French national team, where Olise has been named in Zinedine Zidane’s first squad. He will link up with Bayern team-mate Dayot Upamecano as France begin a new chapter under one of the game’s greats.
From Allianz Arena hat-trick hero to debutant under Zidane, and from outsider to genuine Ballon d'Or contender – Olise’s rise is gathering speed. The only question now is whether the voters will keep pace.
