Goal, assist... goal-kick - Kane underlines Ballon d'Or credentials

Even by Harry Kane's remarkable standards, this was mightily impressive.

There were fewer than 25 minutes on the clock during Bayern Munich's thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League when the forward took matters into his own hands in a bid to break the deadlock.

As the Premier League champions prepared to defend a Bayern goal-kick, Kane seized the initiative by launching his side up the pitch with a raking 80-yard pass.

It was a moment of remarkable ingenuity from the England international, one that almost ended with Bayern taking the lead.

"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.

"But even someone like Manuel Neuer, who is his senior and has been at Bayern for a large part of his career, sees Harry Kane put the ball down and thinks, 'OK, sure'. He lets Harry go for it because he thinks whatever he sees is going to be correct.

"At the same time, there were Bayern players running forward because they knew that the ball could come.

"For him to be taking a goal-kick is not something you may want to see very often. You don't necessarily want your number nine to be THAT deep, but the nature of his game when he is playing for Bayern is to roam, and today it was a huge benefit to the team."

Although Kane was denied the opportunity to add another outstanding assist to his already impressive catalogue, he did not have to wait long to make another decisive contribution.

After Eberechi Eze had put Arsenal ahead, Kane helped Bayern restore parity, bending a sumptuous pass around Jurrien Timber for Alphonso Davies to finish.

The England captain then fired the hosts in front from the penalty spot midway through the second half, taking his career tally of goals against Arsenal to 16.

But Declan Rice struck late on to earn Arsenal a share of the spoils.

For Kane, it was another mesmerising performance that underlined his credentials as the frontrunner for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

The former Tottenham Hotspur captain, 33, could become the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the prestigious individual award, with Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Paris St-Germain forward and current holder Ousmane Dembele among the favourites.

Kane was named on the 30-man shortlist in September, with the winner due to be announced on Monday following a vote by an international jury of 100 journalists.

"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."

By scoring against Arsenal on Wednesday night, 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.

"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.

"I think all the Bayern players are really playing into that, but then Harry steps up and scores a penalty as well.

"Having freedom is probably the best way to describe what he has got playing for Bayern, because he will work hard defensively, which allows him the freedom to be creative when he is in attack. For now, he certainly is thriving."

Kane's goal against Arsenal took his tally to 156 in 158 appearances since joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham in 2023.

It was another night to remember for the England captain, but the best could yet be to come, with the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London looming.

"It would be amazing to win," said Kane afterwards. "The voting closed a long time ago so there's nothing I can do, just wait and see what happens."