Harry Kane has denied that a social media message posted after winning the Ballon d’Or was directed at Kylian Mbappe or Lamine Yamal.
The Bayern Munich striker finished ahead of Real Madrid forward Mbappe, who was runner-up, and Barcelona teenager Yamal, who came third.
After the result, Kane wrote: “Work hard in silence, let success make the noise.” But when asked whether the message was aimed at his two rivals, he said: “No, not at all. It is a quote I have liked throughout my career, to be honest.”
“It motivates me and reflects how I approach hard work, discipline and dedication. A lot of the time I have had to train on my own. All the work I do behind the scenes is important. I think it is a great quote, and many boys and girls can look at it and benefit from it too.”
Kane was speaking to a group of Bundesliga representatives 48 hours after receiving the award. He had missed Bayern’s 6-1 victory over Magdeburg in the German Cup, although he said he was ready to return to training before Saturday’s meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
“It has been an eventful week. Monday night was amazing,” said Kane. “I was very nervous, with completely different emotions from those I feel before a football match.
“I kept trying to imagine how I would feel if I won. The support from my friends, family, fans and on social media was very special. I received so many congratulations. I had a great night after the ceremony, celebrating with my closest friends, and then, of course, I went back to work.”
Family reunion and golden schnitzel
Kane’s wife and children are in London and are due to return on Friday. Despite speaking to them on a video call, he said he was eager to show them the trophy.
“They will try to play with it, but it is quite heavy, so I will make sure I protect it,” he said. “Usually they play together and the winner gets the trophy that has just arrived at home. In this case, it will be difficult to explain that they need to be careful.”
A Bayern-supporting restaurant owner also delivered four veal schnitzels decorated with edible gold leaf and gold glitter spray to Kane’s Villa Kitz residence.
“It is a lovely tradition we have, and we will keep it,” said Kane. “I did not eat it because I had my pre-match rituals. It is at home now, although someone else may have eaten it. I see it as another prize.”
Kane said he would buy presents for his team-mates at Bayern and with England as a thank you, adding: “I will try to organise that, but I will give them a great gift.”
He said taking a rest after the ceremony had been useful mentally, having played many matches during the previous six weeks. Bayern had already been 4-0 ahead when he decided he was unlikely to feature against Magdeburg.
“It felt like six months had passed since the Freiburg match, although it had only been three days,” he said. “It was good to return to some normality, see the fans, my team-mates and the stadium.”
Kane now expects to play in Saturday’s Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena, with both teams on 17 points.
“I will train tomorrow and be ready,” he said. “It is our most important league match of the season. It would be even better if we won.”
Asked about the possibility of being called “Sir”, Kane joked: “It would feel strange, so I will stay with Harry.”
