Harry Kane ‘will win Ballon d’Or’ if he fires Bayern Munich to UEFA Champions League glory, says Steve McManaman

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Harry Kane made history on Tuesday night when his opening goal in a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen made the Bayern Munich striker the first Englishman to score 10 goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign. Steve McManaman told TNT Sports that the England captain "will win the Ballon d'Or" if he helps guide Bayern to the Champions League title.

Champions League win would put Kane in Ballon d’Or ‘conversation’ - Hargreaves

Video credit: TNT Sports

Harry Kane will receive an "outpouring of love" when he finally lifts a career-first trophy, while he "will win the Ballon d’Or" if Bayern Munich claim the UEFA Champions League title, says Steve McManaman.

Kane opened the scoring for Bayern early in the second half of their 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16 second leg on Tuesday to become the first Englishman to score 10 goals in a single Champions League campaign.

He then set up Alphonso Davies with a beautifully weighted pass for Bayern’s second, a goal that put the tie to bed as the visitors went 5-0 up on aggregate.

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Kane, who is yet to lift any silverware in his career after Bayern were pipped to the league title by Leverkusen in his debut campaign last year, has scored 32 goals and provided 10 assists in 36 appearances so far this season.

That kind of form could easily put the England skipper in the frame for some richly deserved recognition, according to TNT Sports expert McManaman.

"He’s underrated only because he hasn’t won anything," McManaman said.

"Everybody knows what an incredible footballer he is, but he just needs to lift a trophy and then the outpouring of love to say what a wonderful player he is will arrive. He’s very close in the Bundesliga but [the Champions League] would be nice as well."

McManaman added: "Imagine him winning the Bundesliga, lifting the Champions League and scoring 50 goals. He will win the Ballon d’Or. That elevates him to a different level."

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves has been impressed with Kane’s form in Germany, and believes a change of coach last summer has also helped.

Former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has led Bayern eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table, while they will face Serie A champions Inter in the quarter-finals of the Champions League next.

"He was always going to score goals in this team," Hargreaves said.

"He’s got [Joshua] Kimmich, [Jamal] Musiala, [Kingsley] Coman, [Serge] Gnabry … The fact is he can focus on scoring goals and he’s probably the best in the world at it. He gets assists as well. He’s a No. 9 and No. 10 rolled into one.

"In Munich, they’ve been amazed at how good he is, but also how humble he is, how quiet he is, what a gentleman he is. Everybody respects that."

Highlights: Kane and Davies on target as Bayern ease past Leverkusen into last eight

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"[Kane’s] level has always been incredibly high but when you play with better players, it’s going to get better," Hargreaves continued.

"It just has to. Vincent Kompany has done a great job with the style of football that they play, super aggressive, they dominate possession, he’s in and around the box. Around the box he’s the best, whether he’s dropping off, creating.

"Harry has always had this level, but he probably got tired of not winning trophies. Last season he was really unlucky. This year he is going to win one.

"But can he win the big one? Can he win the Champions League? Then he puts himself in the Ballon d’Or conversation."

Bayern look ‘really, really dangerous’

Former Real Madrid and Liverpool winger McManaman was impressed with the discipline and control that Bayern displayed against Leverkusen in a dominant two-legged display.

He said: "Bayern were too experienced. They never looked in any bother. They got to half-time at 0-0, and took advantage in the second half.

"Sometimes you don't have to be gung-ho to win it. Just don't make mistakes. Let the opposition make mistakes.

"Put pressure on them, make chances, but let the opposition collapse. And that's what Bayer Leverkusen have done.

"I think their squad, as long as they keep everyone fit, Bayern Munich, they look really, really dangerous. The final is at their home ground, so they've got something to fight for."

'Excellent away performance' - Davies wraps up tie thanks to Kane assist

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Kane: Result showed 'the type of team we are'

Speaking after the win, Kane was pleased to get a comprehensive and dominant victory over his side’s domestic rivals.

He said: "Two great performances, home and away, to beat this type of team 5-0 overall, shows the type of team we are. It's never easy when you have a 3-0 lead going into the game.

"I think from the first minute, the intensity we showed, the press, we were the team that were getting better chances, and we knew the game was going to open up in the second half.

"We just had to be patient. Top performance from everyone, we defended really well, we took our chances when needed too, and overall we're delighted to be in the quarter-final."

Kane 'kills the tie' as he bags the opener for Bayern Munich to put team 4-0 up on aggregate

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After falling short in the title tilt against Bayer last year, Kane contrasted the season’s efforts in his second term.

He continued: "I think we started from the start of the season. In the Bundesliga we've been really strong and showed the intensity, the team we want to be. We carried that into the Champions League.

"There was a lot of talk going into this game, especially in Germany about who was going to win. We stayed calm, we stayed in our moment, not just to win, but to win 5-0 just shows the path that we're on. We won't get carried away, we've got a big Bundesliga game at the weekend and we'll just try to perform like we did today."

Kane is now into double figures, but he is aiming to add to his current tally.

"I know I’ve got 10 in the Champions League," he acknowledged. "It’s a nice number to have but hopefully there's a few more to go."

He added: "I’m looking for bigger things and we’ve still got work to do."

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