Harry Kane received his Ballon d'Or at the Allianz Arena, then hit the bar with a penalty as Bayern Munich drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund late on.
Harry Kane was presented with his Ballon d'Or at the Allianz Arena on Saturday night, then hit the crossbar with a penalty as Bayern Munich drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund. Fabio Silva equalised for the visitors in the 89th minute.
The presentation
Kane was crowned best player in the world on Monday night. According to the Daily Mail, he is the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
The case for the award is a number: 73 goals across the 2025-26 season for Bayern and England. Those goals spearheaded Bayern's domestic Treble, and Kane also captained England to third place at the World Cup.
Bayern staged the handover before kick-off. Both teams and the match officials lined up on the pitch, and "Land of Hope and Glory" played over the stadium sound system. The Daily Mail reports a standing ovation from Bayern's players and fans, with some Dortmund fans heard booing. His family were waiting on the pitch, and he greeted them as he came out.
Then he took the microphone. "I'm extremely proud to be a Bayern player," Kane told the home fans, adding: "I hope to win many more titles with you." He finished with a "Danke!" in German. After the award itself, he had thanked his teammates, the staff and manager Vincent Kompany by name.
The match, in sequence
- Konrad Laimer put Bayern ahead.
- Kane hit the bar with a penalty.
- Serhou Guirassy equalised for Dortmund.
- Dayot Upamecano put Bayern 2-1 up, with Kane assisting.
- Silva equalised in the 89th minute.
Bayern led twice and finished level. That is the number to hold on to. A converted penalty would have made it 2-0. Whether Bayern would then have held on is another question.
The miss was not the only thing that decided the match, and it would be lazy to say so. Bayern went ahead again after it and still did not close the game out. Between 2-1 and the 89th minute, the lead was theirs to manage. The report gives no minute for the penalty and no detail of how the goals were conceded, so the tactical reading stops at the scoreline and the sequence.
It is also worth being exact about Kane's night on the pitch. He missed one penalty and set up one goal. A player who has just been named the best in the world is allowed an off-moment from twelve yards. The excuse market opens at the first sign of ceremony, and it should stay shut.
What it means
The ceremony supplied the celebration. The result supplied the complication.
The stadium gave Kane a warm welcome, complete with a German thank-you, and his speech was about the club rather than himself. As public relations go, it was clean. The match was not.
What to watch
Three things for Bayern's next outing.
- Kane's next penalty. One miss does not make a pattern, but the next spot kick will be watched closely anyway.
- Game management. Leading 2-1 and conceding in the 89th minute is a problem of the last ten minutes, not the first eighty. Watch who closes the game when Bayern next lead late.
- An update on Kompany. On Monday Kane wished his manager well, saying he was at home or still in the hospital. The report does not say whether Kompany was involved on Saturday, so wait for his next public appearance before drawing conclusions.
Kane has the trophy and the 73 goals. What Bayern lacked on Saturday was a third.
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Sources
Meanwhile at the desk
Seventy-three goals in a season and the one that went missing was the penalty he got to take on trophy night. The Daily Mail also notes he assisted the 2-1 goal, so the ledger is not as bleak as the headline.
A club that stages a presentation before kick-off gets the pictures and the speech. The opposition gets a point and a late equaliser, and nobody sent Dortmund a thank-you card.
