Former Bayern Munich legend and football pundit Lothar Matthäus is no stranger to a controversial take, and he raised eyebrows once again after naming his two favorite players to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

After two separate career-defining seasons, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal are widely believed to be the two frontrunners to win the award, but Matthäus disagrees—with half of that assessment, at least.

In an interview with the Deutschen Presse-Agentur, the 65-year-old pundit included another Bayern player in the Ballon d’Or conversation.

“When I assess this period [last season], which is the only period that should be assessed, then there are only two for me. They both play for Bayern Munich. Harry Kane and Michael Olise—and nobody else,” said Matthäus (via @iMiaSanMia).

By “this period,” the former Bayern midfielder is referring to the 2025/26 season up until the conclusion of the World Cup, excluding the beginning of the current campaign.

In the time frame referred to by Matthäus—the exact period assessed when awarding the 2026 Ballon d’Or—the three players are very much on par, but one stands out.

Michael Olise finished the season with 44 goal contributions across all competitions, just one fewer than Yamal’s 45. However, Kane managed significantly more than the pair, recording 64 goal contributions.

In terms of silverware, Bayern and Barcelona were practically level. Both sides won their respective league, domestic, and minor super cup competitions. Notably, Bayern made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League, whereas Barcelona crashed out in the quarter-finals.

The only area that strongly tips the scale in favor of Yamal is the World Cup. Olise and Kane both performed better individually, but the 19-year-old attacker went on to win the tournament with Spain—a massive boost to his Ballon d’Or pursuit.

Realistically, Olise doesn’t quite match Kane and Yamal’s jaw-dropping output.

The real question is this: Do 19 more goal contributions and an extra round in the Champions League for Harry Kane make up for Lamine Yamal’s World Cup triumph?