Did Bayern Help Lamine Yamal Win the Ballon d’Or?

Here is the argument.

Harry Kane has arguably the strongest goalscoring case in the race. He scored 61 goals for Bayern during the 2025/26 season, helping the club win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. His goals are the foundation of his Ballon d’Or campaign.

Lamine Yamal's case is different.

The Barcelona star brings goals and assists, but his biggest advantage is the complete attacking package. His dribbling, creativity, chance creation and ability to produce spectacular moments make him one of the most entertaining players in world football. He finished the 2025/26 LaLiga season with 16 goals and 11 assists and was named the league's Player of the Season.

And then there is Michael Olise.

The Bayern winger arguably offered the closest alternative to Yamal's style of Ballon d'Or argument. Olise produced 25 goals and 28 assists in 57 competitive appearances for Bayern last season, while also playing a major role in their domestic double. Bayern itself named him the club's Player of the Season after he received 51.4% of the fan vote, ahead of Kane on 32%.

That makes Bayern's decision particularly interesting.

The club openly backed Kane for the Ballon d'Or despite having Olise on the same shortlist. L'Équipe reported that Bayern chose to build its campaign around Kane, while Bayern sporting director Max Eberl went even further by saying: “For me, there is no other candidate.”

This does not mean Bayern made the wrong choice.

Kane's numbers are extraordinary, and there is a very strong argument that he deserves the award.

But there is another way to look at it.

By putting Kane ahead of Olise, Bayern effectively concentrated its Ballon d'Or push behind a player whose strongest argument is goals. Olise, meanwhile, represents a much closer stylistic rival to Yamal's combination of creativity, flair, dribbling and goal contributions.

That matters because Thomas Müller recently named Olise and Kylian Mbappé as the two players whose individual performances impressed him most, while leaving Kane and Yamal out of his top two.

So if Yamal eventually wins the Ballon d'Or, there will be an interesting question to ask:

Did Bayern accidentally make his job easier by choosing Harry Kane over Michael Olise?

It is impossible to prove that Bayern's decision changed the final vote. But considering how strong Olise's numbers and individual case were, the question is certainly worth asking.