Olise Shines in Munich as Ballon d'Or Debate Heats Up
On a night when Bayern Munich ran riot at the Allianz Arena, two names refused to leave the spotlight: Michael Olise and Harry Kane. One hit a hat-trick, the other a brace. Both walked off the pitch looking every inch like men who belong in the Ballon d'Or conversation, not just on the 30-man shortlist.
Against an overwhelmed Berlin side, Olise produced the kind of performance that turns a strong season into a statement year. Three goals, constant menace, and a swagger that never dipped across the full 90 minutes. It was the first hat-trick of his professional career, but it felt like the natural next step for a player whose ceiling keeps rising.
Jamal Musiala, who had opened the scoring a little after the quarter-hour mark, summed it up on Sky in one word: “outstanding.” On this evidence, it was hard to argue.
Eberl: “He belongs among the best”
After the final whistle, the Ballon d'Or debate followed Bayern sporting director Max Eberl into the mixed zone. Asked about Olise’s chances, he initially called it “difficult” and “a subjective assessment,” but he did not dance around the main point for long.
“He definitely belongs in the circle of (possible) Ballon d'Or winners too,” Eberl insisted. Kane, in his eyes, already had “a great chance” after last season, but Olise is forcing his way into that elite bracket with his form. “Michael is also working his way into that group with the way he plays football. So for me he definitely belongs among the best footballers in the world.”
It was more than polite praise. It sounded like a club staking a claim for two of its stars on the biggest individual stage there is.
Head coach Vincent Kompany highlighted the work behind the spectacle. Olise’s finishes, he pointed out, are no accident: “Michael scores these goals, but he has also worked a lot on these finishes in training. Even the top players need more than just talent.” The hat-trick was the highlight; the hours on the training ground made it possible.
Next on Olise’s agenda: the French national team. He has been named in Zinedine Zidane’s first France squad, joining Bayern teammate Dayot Upamecano. From Munich to Les Bleus, his rise is accelerating.
Yamal stirs the pot
While Bayern’s forwards let their boots speak, the Ballon d'Or narrative had already been simmering elsewhere. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, a world champion and one of the award’s youngest serious contenders, had made his own case in pointed terms.
Speaking to Movistar Plus, he said the Ballon d'Or “should go to the best player in the world, full stop. It should not go to a player who has scored 80 goals.” The remark was widely seen as a swipe at Golden Shoe winner Kane, who finished last season with 73 goals in all competitions.
Yamal later clarified his stance. “If you score 80 goals, you get the season's top-scorer award. Those are very different things that people do not understand. The best player in the world is the one where, as a commentator, you watch a game and enjoy watching him. He is a player who is different from everyone else.”
The message was clear: artistry over arithmetic.
Eberl, asked about the comments, did not bother with diplomacy. “There has to be campaigning. The best players are the ones who do not need campaigning.” In a year of fierce lobbying ahead of the gala on 26 October at the Palladium Theatre in London, it was a pointed reminder that Bayern believe their stars can stand on performance alone.
Kane stays ice-cold in the debate
Kane, as so often, chose a cooler route. Asked about Yamal’s words, he refused to bite.
“You do not know exactly how he meant it. People have their own assumptions about it. Ultimately, everyone is different,” he said. “Yamal is an incredible player and had a great season, but so did many others. There are so many players who have had a great season behind them. I think that is why there may be even more discussion about it this year than usual, because there are so many candidates.”
No counterattack, no dig. Just a reminder of how crowded the field is.
He then returned to familiar territory: his own output and his own principles. “Everyone has the right to speak however they want. You know me, I prefer to let my performances on the pitch do the talking for me. I answer on the pitch. I do not like talking a lot about myself, but everyone is different. There is no right or wrong. Others have to judge that. It is not in my hands, but in the hands of the voters.”
What he could control, he had already delivered. “I am extremely proud of what I achieved last year - not just the goals, but also the titles won, the cup final and the return of the Meisterschale to Munich. All these things - including some of the World Cup matches - will stay with me for the rest of my life. So overall it was simply a fantastic season.”
The numbers back him. The trophies back him. The performance against Berlin only underlined it.
Two Bayern forwards, one golden prize?
As some contenders and their clubs ramp up the campaigning for London, Bayern’s front line is building its case in a different way: by tearing teams apart. Kane, the relentless finisher with a medal haul to match his goals. Olise, the rising artist who just delivered his first professional hat-trick and now steps into Zidane’s France.
The Golden Ball will go to just one player. On nights like this in Munich, it feels less like a distant dream and more like a genuine dilemma: which Bayern forward has the stronger claim?
