Olise and Kane Shine at Allianz in Ballon d'Or Showcase

On a night when Bayern Munich ran riot, two names refused to share the spotlight.

Michael Olise, hat-trick hero.
Harry Kane, ruthless double.

Between them, they turned a routine home win at the Allianz Arena into a live audition for the Ballon d'Or.

Both are already on the 30-man shortlist. Both are widely tipped to finish high in the voting after last season’s avalanche of goals, titles and decisive performances. On Friday, they played as if to remind everyone why their names belong in that conversation.

Eberl: “He definitely belongs”

Sporting director Max Eberl tried to keep a lid on the hype when asked about Olise’s chances of lifting the Golden Ball. At first, he called the whole debate “difficult” and “a subjective assessment”.

Then he dropped the caveats.

“He definitely belongs in the circle of (possible) Ballon d'Or winners too,” Eberl said, making it clear he sees Olise edging into the elite. Kane, in his eyes, was already there. “I already gave Kane a great chance anyway, but Michael is also working his way into that group with the way he plays football. So for me he definitely belongs among the best footballers in the world.”

While Bayern’s forwards were making their case on the pitch, the Ballon d’Or campaign trail had already been heating up elsewhere.

Some clubs and stars have long since started pushing their own narratives ahead of the gala on 26 October at the Palladium Theatre in London. Barcelona’s world champion Lamine Yamal has not hidden his desire to be honoured either – and his words have fuelled the debate.

Speaking to Movistar Plus, Yamal delivered a line that many took as a jab at Golden Shoe winner Kane, who hit 73 goals last season: “The Ballon d’Or should go to the best player in the world, full stop. It should not go to a player who has scored 80 goals.”

He later clarified his stance, drawing a sharp line between pure scoring and overall brilliance.

“If you score 80 goals, you get the season's top-scorer award. Those are very different things that people do not understand. The best player in the world is the one where, as a commentator, you watch a game and enjoy watching him. He is a player who is different from everyone else.”

Asked about those comments, Eberl cut through the noise. “There has to be campaigning. The best players are the ones who do not need campaigning.”

Kane stays ice-cold in the debate

If Yamal had fired up the argument, Kane refused to be dragged into a war of words.

“You do not know exactly how he meant it. People have their own assumptions about it,” the Bayern striker said, keeping his tone dry. “Ultimately, everyone is different. Yamal is an incredible player and had a great season, but so did many others. There are so many players who have had a great season behind them. I think that is why there may be even more discussion about it this year than usual, because there are so many candidates.”

He did not bite back. He simply restated his own approach.

“Everyone has the right to speak however they want. You know me, I prefer to let my performances on the pitch do the talking for me. I answer on the pitch. I do not like talking a lot about myself, but everyone is different. There is no right or wrong. Others have to judge that. It is not in my hands, but in the hands of the voters.”

Instead of engaging in a popularity contest, Kane pointed to the body of work that underpins his candidacy.

“I am extremely proud of what I achieved last year – not just the goals, but also the titles won, the cup final and the return of the Meisterschale to Munich. All these things – including some of the World Cup matches – will stay with me for the rest of my life. So overall it was simply a fantastic season,” he said.

On this evidence, he has no intention of easing off.

Olise’s perfect answer

If Kane argued with numbers and medals, Olise answered in the most brutal language football has: 90 minutes of dominance.

Against completely overmatched Berliners, the Frenchman delivered the first hat-trick of his professional career and earned a top mark (SPOX rating 1). That stat only scratches the surface. From kick-off to final whistle, he was the outstanding player on the pitch.

Jamal Musiala, who had opened the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark, summed it up on Sky with a single word: “outstanding.”

Olise’s goals were not accidents of positioning or chaos in the box. They were the product of repetition and refinement. Coach Vincent Kompany underlined that point.

“Michael scores these goals, but he has also worked a lot on these finishes in training. Even the top players need more than just talent,” Kompany said, giving a glimpse into the hours that sit behind the highlights.

The pressure of the Ballon d’Or debate swirled around him. Olise let his boots do the talking.

From Munich to Les Bleus

The reward for this surge in form does not stop at club level.

Next up for Olise is a call-up that underlines his rise. He has been named in new France coach Zinedine Zidane’s first squad, joining Bayern team-mate Dayot Upamecano in the national team setup.

A hat-trick for Bayern, a place in Zidane’s plans, a name now spoken seriously in Ballon d’Or circles.

For Olise and Kane, nights like this do more than fill scoreboards. They shape legacies – and they make the October gala in London feel a little less like a distant ceremony, and a little more like an inevitable showdown.