‘I try not to think about it’: Harry Kane opens up on Ballon d’Or stress as England striker eyes historic award

‘I try not to think about it’: Harry Kane opens up on Ballon d’Or stress as England striker eyes historic award Harry Kane has admitted that waiting to find out whether he will win the Ballon d’Or is stressful, and the England captain said he has no idea what to expect ahead of Monday’s ceremony in London. The Bayern Munich striker is one of the favourites to win football’s most prestigious individual award after an outstanding season in which he scored 61 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions. Kane helped Bayern win the domestic double and reach the Champions League semi-final last season, where they were beaten by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. Winning the Ballon d’Or would make the 33-year-old the first English player to receive the award since Michael Owen in 2001. But he faces competition from Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. Yamal had an impressive campaign. He helped Barcelona win La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, and also played a key role in Spain’s World Cup triumph in the United States. The teenager recorded 48 goal contributions in 58 appearances across all competitions. Despite being the bookmakers’ favourite, Kane says he hasn’t been told whether he will win the award at the London Palladium. Speaking about the uncertainty, the striker admitted that he would prefer to know the result beforehand rather than wait through the entire ceremony. “They want everyone to go, all the big names there, and there will be more people watching it if they don’t know, so I can understand why,” he said (via the Daily Mail ). “From my point of view, of course, I’d love to know to just kind of see and not have to wait throughout the whole night. “But it is their decision, I can’t control that. We’ll have to just enjoy it and try not to stress out too much. “I try not to think about it. Obviously it is hard not to. There are always rumours flying around, and you try to stay away from it. “Of course I am going to try and enjoy Monday night as much as possible. It is a big occasion so we will have to wait and see.” Kane, who recently agreed a new contract with Bayern , was in fine form for the Bundesliga holders in the Champions League. He notched a goal and an assist in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal. He has also scored 10 goals and provided seven assists in 11 games across all competitions this season.