Which ‘astonishing’ English player will follow Harry Kane as next Ballon d’Or winner? Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole make predictions
Published 31/10/2026 at 15:37 GMT
Jude Bellingham has been backed by TNT Sports expert Owen Hargreaves to follow in England team-mate Harry Kane's footsteps and win the Ballon d'Or.
Kane: I would not have won Ballon d'Or without Bayern Munich
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Kane became the fifth English player to win the Ballon d'Or when he beat Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to the award this week.
Bellingham is a talismanic figure for both Real Madrid and England, with the midfielder becoming the first Englishman to score seven goals at a World Cup in the summer.
According to Hargreaves, the 23-year-old has all the tools to emulate Kane and one day win the Ballon d'Or.
"Jude's body of work for such a young player is astonishing," Hargreaves said.
"I remember seeing him for the first time at England Under-21s. I rang my dad afterwards and said, 'Dad, you’ve got to see this kid. He's at a different level.' And he's continued to grow and get better.
"He's got this natural talent that is rare and I think he could easily go on and win the Ballon d'Or one day.
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"But it comes down to club success and success with England, but Jude what he’s done up to this point is as good as any England player I’ve seen at 23."
While agreeing that Bellingham was the most likely English player to win the Ballon d'Or next, Joe Cole believes Kane's triumph has "opened the door" for players who may not have grown up as footballing prodigies.
"Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers - we've got so much talent," said Cole. "These players can step up. Harry Kane's opened the door for all of them.
"You don't have to be Lamine Yamal at 16, 17 - one of the brightest players in world football, everyone knows you're going to be a shoo-in.
"We've got some super talents, when you add to that [Arsenal's 16-year-old] Max Dowman coming through. You don't know how he’s going to develop.
"We’ve never had this big a pool of talent to choose from and it’s up to the lads now to go and do it."
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Best moments from Kane's Ballon d'Or winning season
Video credit: TNT Sports
Hargreaves hails Kane's 'season for the ages'
Kane became the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001, when he was crowned the world's best player at the ceremony in London.
The 33-year-old's individual output last season was extraordinary, netting 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern, plus 12 goals for England last term, including six in the World Cup.
On Kane’s Ballon d'Or triumph, Hargreaves added: "What a story. When you look at R9 [Brazil legend Ronaldo], you think about Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo. These golden children of football.
"Harry's body of work, to get to this point and win the Ballon d'Or is amazing.
"You think about the loans that he had and the way he works, to go and develop into the player that he's become. And you know what? He's getting better. Every year he's getting better. And what a testament to him.
"Hard work, determination, talent. He's continued to chip away and honestly, I could not be more happy for him. He’s had a season for the ages.
Cole added: "He stands shoulder to shoulder with all the giants of English football. This award is one thing, but the story is what gets you.
"He had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall. It’s a great example for young people in any industry, not just football.
"You don’t have to be out of the traps at it. You learn your trade, you keep going, you work. All of the things Harry Kane stands for, and he's standing there now at the peak of the mountain when it comes to individual awards. It's a remarkable story.
"Harry Kane is the sort of fella you want to come home with your daughter, and that's the biggest compliment I could pay to him."
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