Teddy Sheringham's Surprising Ballon d'Or Verdict: Rodri Over Kane
Teddy Sheringham knows what it takes to live at the top of the game well into your late 30s and beyond. He did it himself. Which is why his verdict on this year’s Ballon d’Or race – and on Harry Kane’s future – lands with real weight.
And he’s not going with the obvious choice.
Sheringham backs Rodri over Kane for Ballon d’Or
Harry Kane has just delivered the kind of season that usually wins awards by default.
- Sixty-one goals in all competitions for FC Bayern Munich.
- Thirty-six of those in 31 Bundesliga matches, driving Bayern to a second straight league title.
- He turned a dominant side into a relentless one, and his form helped make England one of the most feared teams at the World Cup, where they finished with bronze after beating France in the third-place play-off.
Yet Sheringham still looks elsewhere when asked who deserves football’s biggest individual prize.
“There’s not an obvious favorite for the Ballon d’Or, but I would think you have to be winning Champions Leagues, World Cups, or Euros whenever they’re about to be in that conversation. I’m sure Kane will be in the top five, no doubt about that, but I can’t see him winning it,” Sheringham told Heavy Sports via BetVictor Online Casino.
His pick? Rodri.
“I think someone like Rodri has been spoken of very highly and was exceptional again in the World Cup every time he was on the football pitch,” Sheringham said. “[Rodri] took his teams to glory as well, so he would be my pick. But Kane has definitely had a fantastic season as well, and he’s in and around it again.”
Kane, then, as the prolific contender. Rodri, in Sheringham’s eyes, as the ultimate winner.
I can see Kane playing into his 40s
If Sheringham stops short of handing Kane the Ballon d’Or, he has no doubts about something else: longevity.
The former Tottenham Hotspur forward played until he was 42. He sees the same kind of extended career in Kane.
“I can see Kane playing into his 40s,” Sheringham said. “He had a few injuries when he was around 26 or 27, when he had those ankle problems. Everyone was looking at him and wondering, ‘Has he got glass ankles?’ and whether he’d be okay in the long run.”
Those questions have faded. Kane’s body has held up, his output has soared, and Sheringham believes that’s no accident.
“But he’s obviously had them mended and looked at properly for his longevity, and he’s enjoying that now. He looks fit and strong, and long may that continue.”
The numbers back that up. Kane is not winding down; he is accelerating. For a striker who relies more on timing, movement and finishing than raw pace, Sheringham sees a blueprint to stretch his career deep into the next decade.
Why leave Bayern?
The modern script for ageing superstars is familiar: a move to Saudi Arabia or MLS, one last huge contract, a softer spotlight. Sheringham doesn’t see Kane fitting that template any time soon.
“He’s playing his best football, scoring 60 goals in a season last year, you can’t get much better than that,” Sheringham said. “Everyone is focused on providing for the main striker, and that’s what it’s all about – everyone’s doing their job to let the striker finish things off.”
From that angle, Bayern look like a striker’s paradise. Elite service, major trophies on the line every year, and a platform that keeps you in the conversation for honours like the Ballon d’Or.
“From Harry’s point of view, there’s no reason to leave. I can’t see him going to Saudi Arabia; it’s just not in his makeup. Things may change, of course,” Sheringham added.
Right now, though, he sees a player exactly where he should be.
“At this moment in time, I think he likes pitting himself against the best in the world, and there’s no better place to do that than Bayern.”
So Kane may miss out on Sheringham’s Ballon d’Or vote to Rodri this year. But with this level of form, this platform, and a body built for the long haul, how many more chances will he get to change that verdict?
