Falk wrote in The Telegraph that Bayern Munich is fully supporting Kane's bid for the Ballon d'Or, with club executives collectively heading to the Palladium Theatre in London to cheer on the England captain. For Bayern, Kane winning the award might be even more significant than for himself.
At the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on Monday night, no German player made the 30-man shortlist, but Bayern has England captain Kane.
Kane is not only Bayern's top striker but also the club's international image ambassador and a model professional. Club sponsor and honorary president Uli Hoeneß called the England captain the best signing in the club's history. Hoeneß even said he loves Kane, and he is not the only one who thinks so.
Hoeneß is one of many club leaders who have been tirelessly promoting Kane, helping the 33-year-old achieve his lifelong dream of winning the trophy. Bayern officials have been building momentum for him for weeks.
The first to speak was head coach Vincent Kompany, who is still recovering after collapsing at Bayern's training ground on Friday. Kompany said: "If he could crown his career or season with a Ballon d'Or now, given the way he plays for the team, that would be very fitting."
Praise continued to pour in. Whether it was sporting director Max Eberl ("He absolutely deserves the Ballon d'Or. Anyone who loves football loves a personality like Kane"), CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen ("One thing is clear – anyone talking about the greatest individual honor this year cannot ignore Kane"), or president Herbert Hainer ("Kane embodies the idea that sporting greatness is incomplete without great character. He would be a deserving World Footballer of the Year"), the entire club is fighting for Kane.
There are good reasons for this. The club has experienced many disappointments with the Ballon d'Or. In 2013, Bayern won the treble for the first time in its history, and Franck Ribéry was in superb form. The Frenchman failed to win the main individual award that year and is still considered one of the most controversial omissions in the award's history.
Ribéry later described the outcome as a "robbery" and a "political decision." The voting deadline was originally set for November 15, 2013, when Ribéry was the clear favorite among bookmakers. Shortly after, FIFA, which then co-presented the award with France Football magazine, suddenly extended the voting period by two weeks to November 29.
The official reason given was low voter turnout. However, the World Cup playoffs happened to fall within this new timeframe, and Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals – including a hat-trick against Sweden – almost single-handedly sending Portugal to the finals. This influenced many voters, who were even allowed to change their already cast votes.
Robert Lewandowski's experience was even more disappointing. Bayern felt unfairly treated twice. In 2020, they won their second treble, which was the most successful year of Lewandowski's career. The striker scored 55 goals in official matches and was the top scorer in all three competitions. He was considered the undisputed favorite, but France Football decided to cancel the 2020 awards ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The reason given was that, due to the suspension of some leagues, there were not enough matches for fair evaluation. FIFA held a different view and named Lewandowski World Player of the Year, but the striker missed out on the Ballon d'Or. The magazine later refused to hold a belated awards ceremony.
In 2021, Lewandowski embarked on another historic campaign. That season he scored 41 goals, breaking German legend Gerd Müller's 49-year-old Bundesliga record. What followed was another bitter disappointment: Lewandowski finished second to Messi in the Ballon d'Or voting. Of the 170 eligible journalists, slightly less than 16% did not include Lewandowski in their top five, but Messi won by a narrow margin, with 613 votes to Lewandowski's 580.
Messi told Lewandowski on the awards stage that he absolutely deserved the award. This was a major blow to Bayern. It reinforced Lewandowski's belief that playing in the Bundesliga would not get him the international attention needed to win the ultimate individual award. He submitted a transfer request and left Bayern to join Barcelona a year later, in the summer of 2022.
Last season, Kane scored an astonishing 73 goals for Bayern and England in 65 official matches, with 61 of those coming for the club. This places him second in historical rankings since the turn of the century. Only one player has done better: Messi scored 82 goals in 69 official matches in the 2011-12 season, for which he won the Ballon d'Or in 2012. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times but has never matched Kane's 73-goal tally.
Despite such a record-breaking season, what would it mean if Kane went unrecognized? How would he assess the appeal of the Bundesliga? Could this affect his contract extension negotiations at Bayern?
Bayern is not only fighting for Kane in this vote but also for its own image and the Bundesliga. The Bundesliga is often criticized as a "farmers' league" – a league where future stars like Erling Haaland or Bellingham gain playing time but cannot reach their peak.
Therefore, Kane's victory would be a victory for Bayern, setting the tone for the future. It would send a signal to players like Olise that they do not need to seek out clubs like Real Madrid to be recognized as the world's best player.
Kane is expected to be the first English player to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. For Germany, the Bundesliga, and especially Bayern, Kane's victory is even more important.