The England captain played an integral role in that success, recording 38 goals and 13 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions, winning the Bundesliga golden boot with 26 of his strikes coming in the German top-flight.
Tuchel feels it is not just Kane’s goals which led him to believe the Englishman’s placing in the Ballon d’Or standings was not high enough.
“I’m not the biggest fan of individual awards in a team sport because I truly believe that you can only win in football,” Tuchel said ahead of England’s friendly with Wales on Thursday.
“The field is too big, the teams are too big as a team player, but Harry is a true team player, and he stands out with what he does, so he should be higher than 13th for sure.”
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‘I watched him for a very long time’ – Dier dedicates late penalty to Kane
Video credit: TNT Sports
Tuchel and Kane were well-acquainted even before the German coach was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in the England dugout last year.
| Harry Kane placed 13th in this year’s Ballon d’Or rankings. The former Tottenham striker has been named within the 30-player shortlist of finalists for the last five consecutive years. The England captain, however, has never placed higher than 10th, having hit that mark in 2024, 2018 and 2017. The 2025 Ballon d’Or was won by Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele after his seismic role in their UEFA Champions League success, beating Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and team-mate Vitinha in the voting. Immediately above Kane in the voting this year were PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Barcelona’s Pedri, and PSG’s Nuno Mendes. |
Kane scored 44 goals in 45 matches under Tuchel.
Kane out of Wales friendly
Tuchel confirmed Kane would be absent as England face Wales at Wembley on Thursday.
“Harry will miss the game,” Tuchel said. “He got a kick in his last match with Bayern Munich.
“It was too painful to kick a ball. It was too risky that he gets another kick and will just be in an up and down situation pain-wise, so we gave him the chance that everything calms down.”
Ollie Watkins is Kane’s most recognised replacement as a natural striker in Tuchel’s squad for the October camp, while Anthony Gordon, Jarrod Bowen and Marcus Rashford have all operated in a centre-forward role previously.
Tuchel said either John Stones, Jordan Henderson or Declan Rice will take the captain’s armband.
England beat Serbia 5-0 in their last match in September and Tuchel wants more of the same.
“The level we can play. We want to keep our thing going,” he said.
“The decisions are for the players in camp, they are not against the players. I know there is always an angle, we just have to make a choice.
“It’s a good thing we have tough choices to make because we have a huge pool of players and we decided with this camp to stick with the team that had a brilliant camp last time.
“Now we cannot start with the same starting XI as against Serbia so it’s natural we have changes. The competition is on. I’m not surprised I’m questioned about my decisions, that’s the nature of the job.”
