Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti has praised Harry Kane after the England captain won the 2026 Ballon d'Or in London on Monday evening, describing his numbers as "frightening". The Italian revealed that he and his staff felt it was a logical choice, adding that it was right for the award to go to a player who is not always highlighted like some of his rivals.
Spalletti says Kane's Ballon d'Or win was a logical choice
Kane was crowned the winner of the men's Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on Monday evening, fending off competition from Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Lionel Messi to claim the Golden Ball. Messages of congratulations have been flooding in ever since.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Spalletti was asked what he made of Kane's victory and whether any of his current Juventus players could compete for the biggest individual prize in world football in the years to come.
Spalletti hails Kane's 'frightening' numbers
Spalletti was in no mood to discuss his own squad's chances, replying: "My players and I have other goals to talk about." He did, however, have plenty of praise for the Bayern Munich striker.
"I talked about it with my staff and we thought it was right that it was given to him," Spalletti said. "It was a logical choice given the quality of the player. He has frightening numbers, even if he's not always highlighted like some other players. That's how it should be."
Kane's record-breaking season with Bayern Munich
Kane's numbers certainly back up Spalletti's verdict. The England captain scored 73 goals over the course of the 2025-26 campaign, more than any other player, and only Messi has ever managed more in a single European season, with 81 in 2011-12. He also fired Bayern to a domestic double.
Kane has now scored 156 goals in just 159 appearances since joining from Tottenham for £100 million ($127m) three years ago, when Lothar Matthaus branded him "too old and too expensive". At 33, he is the fourth-oldest winner of the award.
What next for Kane and Spalletti?
With his long-overdue recognition finally secured, Kane will now turn his attention back to Bayern as they bid to defend their domestic double.
He will also be chasing the major honour still missing from his CV, with the Champions League the obvious target, while Spalletti focuses on the "other goals" he has set for Juventus.