Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks is not buying that interpretation, though. Speaking about Kane’s message, Danks insisted it was a reflection of the striker’s personality rather than a subtle dig at anybody.

“I think that statement from Harry is a fantastic statement for any young person, in any area of life, but for any young football players, I don’t think it was directed at anybody. I think that is Harry. That’s exactly him. He works a lot in silence, he does a lot of work that nobody knows about, to get his body in the condition that it needs to be in, to get his mindset where it needs to be, and to get his preparation right. And then his success will speak for itself,” Danks explained (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

The assistant coach also pointed out that Kane’s career was already remarkable long before the trophies and individual accolades finally started arriving.

“I remember years ago when he was back home in England and everybody spoke about him not winning trophies and stuff, but if you looked at his career and what he was achieving, he was taking the Englandteam to European finals, he was taking Tottenham to Champions League finals, he was having a fantastic career. Maybe he wasn’t getting the recognition in terms of trophies that he deserved, and those things are coming now for him. So I think the success willspeak for him,” Danks added.

Fair enough. Kane has spent years letting his performances do the talking, and now he has a Ballon d’Or to show for it.

Was the message a dig at Yamal? According to Danks, absolutely not. But that probably won’t stop football fans from reading between the lines anyway.

After all, a little Ballon d’Or rivalry never hurt anybody.