Thomas Müller reveals his two favorites for the Ballon d'Or: they are not Kane or Yamal

· Marca-EN

The former Bayern Munich player chose two footballers who, in his view, were the ones who impressed him the most with their individual performance during the season.

Thomas Müller jumped fully into the debate over the 2026 Ballon d'Or and made his choice. The former Bayern Munich player did not place Harry Kane among his favorites, his former teammate on the German side, despite the spectacular season of the English striker.

In his monthly newsletter, Müller pointed to Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé as the two footballers who impressed him the most with their individual performances. A choice that also leaves out Lamine Yamal, another of the names appearing among the leading candidates for the award.

The reason Müller is betting on Olise and Mbappé

Müller explained that both players have something that, for him, is decisive in the fight to be considered the best footballer in the world: they combine spectacle, danger in front of goal, technique and power without their actions seeming especially complicated.

The German especially highlighted Olise, whose season with Bayern ended with a domestic double. The Frenchman recorded 15 goals and 19 assists in the Bundesliga, being directly involved in 34 goals, in addition to adding five goals and seven assists in 13 Champions League matches.

The other selected player is Mbappé, whom Müller described as Olise's ideal partner during the World Cup. The Real Madrid forward did not manage to win a major title with his club during the season, while France were eliminated in the World Cup semifinals by Spain, but that did not stop the German from placing him among his two favorites.

Kane's absence is, however, one of the most surprising details of the choice. The English striker ended the evaluation period with 73 goals for club and country, in addition to winning the domestic double with Bayern. Despite those numbers, Müller did not include him among the two players who impressed him the most.

Yamal also did not appear in the former German international's selection. The Barcelona player won LaLiga and the World Cup with Spain, two achievements that placed him among the leading names in the conversation for the award.

The Ballon d'Or will be awarded on October 26 in London, so the race is entering its decisive stretch. Müller's choice does not determine the outcome, but it does put the spotlight on Olise, a footballer who shares a dressing room with Kane and who now appears backed by one of the great figures in Bayern's recent history.

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