Harry Kane: Bayern Munich striker can’t stop scoring – is he ready to win the Ballon d’Or?

But there is more to Kane’s Ballon d’Or case than just goals – the work he does on and off the ball when dropping off the forward line is unmatched by other elite goalscorers.

“Kane has reinvented the centre-forward game, as Manuel Neuer did with goalkeepers about a decade and a half ago,” 1990 Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthaus wrote in his column for Sky Germany., external

“I don’t see a better striker in the world right now. Not just because of his goals, but because of his versatility and the positions he plays.

“Kane also demonstrates qualities as a passer, dribbler, and tackler. He is simultaneously a goalscorer, playmaker, box-to-box player, and tackler.”

The way Kane brings others into games while also maintaining his incredible scoring record does not go unnoticed by his team-mates either.

“Harry makes you better – he is not here just to finish, he will put you in front of the goal,” his former Bayern team-mate Kingsley Coman said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast earlier this year.

“I feel like he enjoys finding a really nice pass as much as scoring. What is amazing is that he can do both. He is one of the strikers who is easiest to play with.

“People say if your striker is selfish then there is a problem. But Harry is not selfish and he bangs in 40 goals or more a season.”

After Jamal Musiala’s leg and ankle break in the summer cost Bayern their main creative force, manager Vincent Kompany tweaked Kane’s role to give him near-total attacking freedom on the pitch.

“He is playing like three or four different players on the pitch at the same time, and that makes him so invaluable,” said Raphael Honigstein on the BBC Football Daily Euro Leagues podcast.

Mina Rzouki added: “His intellect is on another level, his sacrifice for the team is on another level.”