Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham ignored Bayern Munich marksman Harry Kane as he named Barcelona midfielder Rodri to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Kane is coming off a superb season with club and country. The Englishman struck 61 times in 51 games across competitions as Vincent Kompany’s Bayern won the domestic treble. He then scored seven times at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America for England, who beat France 6-4 in the third-place play-off.
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Meanwhile, Rodri won both domestic cups with Manchester City last season before captaining Spain in their victorious World Cup campaign in North America, playing all eight games. While both the Spaniard and Kane have been included in the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, Sheringham reckons the award should go to Rodri for his role in winning a major title, telling talkSPORT
“Would he get my vote? Not really. I think he’s had a phenomenal season, but the Ballon d’Or winner is normally one that wins the Champions League or the World Cup, or whatever is there at that moment. He didn’t quite do that, so he’s an also-ran for me. Sorry about that, Harry!”
About Rodri – who moved to Barcelona in the summer – Sheringham added:
“He’s a leader. His teams normally win week in, week out. Manchester City, Spain. I know he’s gone now, but whoever he plays for, they win.”
Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or after a superb season with Manchester City, who won an unprecedented Premier League four-peat, before playing a key role in Spain’s victorious Euro 2024 campaign.
How has Ballon d’Or contender Harry Kane fared this season?
Bayern Munich hitman Harry Kane is off to a strong start to the 2026-27 season. The 2026 Ballon d’Or contender has scored thrice and assisted once in five games across competitions.
In his most recent outing in midweek, the England captain scored and assisted as Bayern saw off Bodø/Glimt 5-0 at home in their UEFA Champions League opener. The goal took Kane to 55 strikes in the competition, making him the third quickest player (71 matches) to reach the landmark, behind Erling Haaland (49 games) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (70).
Kane, surprisingly, is yet to score in two Bundesliga games but scored twice in one outing in the DFB-Pokal.
Edited by Bhargav