MUNICH — Harry Kane underlined his Ballon d'Or credentials with a goal, an assist and even a goal-kick as Bayern Munich and Arsenal played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the Champions League in Munich. The England captain, 33, fired the hosts ahead from the penalty spot midway through the second half to take his career tally against Arsenal to 16, having earlier bent a sumptuous pass around Jurrien Timber for Alphonso Davies to equalise after Eberechi Eze had put the Premier League champions in front, before Declan Rice struck late to earn Arsenal a share of the spoils.
The most eye-catching moment arrived with fewer than 25 minutes on the clock when Kane seized a Bayern goal-kick and launched a raking 80-yard pass up the pitch that almost brought the opener, on a night when he recorded 40 touches. "Under Vincent Kompany, he has been given a level of trust that he has probably never had before under any other manager," former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport. "For all the things we've seen him do and the positions we've seen him roam into, nobody has seen him take a goal-kick before." Onuoha added that even Manuel Neuer deferred as Bayern players sprinted forward because they knew the delivery could come.
"He is the clear winner. His numbers speak for themselves. The year he has had has been remarkable," Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice told TNT Sports. "When you play with him, you realise how good he is, and when you play against him, you see how much of a pain it is. He is ridiculous, such a good player, and I am lucky I can play with him, not so lucky I have to play against him." Kane, named on the 30-man shortlist in September ahead of Monday's ceremony in London decided by an international jury of 100 journalists, said: "It would be amazing to win. The voting closed a long time ago so there's nothing I can do, just wait and see what happens."
By scoring against Arsenal, Kane became only the second player in Champions League history to find the net in 10 consecutive matches. The only other player to achieve the feat was five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored in 11 successive matches for Real Madrid between June 2017 and April 2018. The goal took Kane to 156 in 158 appearances since joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, strengthening his case to become the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the award ahead of fellow favourites Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and current holder Ousmane Dembele of Paris St-Germain.
"Kane certainly looks at home at Bayern. He understands the team and its system, and they all understand him. They know that when he gets the ball at his feet, wherever that may be, something good can happen," Onuoha added, praising the freedom Kane has been afforded to roam and work hard defensively while remaining creative in attack. The result follows Rice's late strike to earn Arsenal a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich and leaves Kane waiting to discover if his remarkable year will be crowned when the winner is announced on Monday.