Philipp Lahm, the World Cup-winning former Bayern Munich captain, offered a pragmatic assessment of Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or triumph, stating that the award highlights the difficulty for a German player based in the Bundesliga to win football's most prestigious individual honor. The last Bundesliga-based player to win the Ballon d'Or was Matthias Sammer in 1996, and a German player has finished in the top three only three times since, most recently Manuel Neuer in 2014. Kane is just the seventh Bundesliga player to reach the top three since Sammer.
Bayern's Dominance and League Appeal
Lahm linked the individual award drought to Bayern Munich's domestic dominance; the Bavarians have lost the Bundesliga title only once since the 2012-13 season. While Bayern's sporting director Christoph Freund emphasizes the club's ability to win titles in Germany and Europe — they have won the Champions League twice in the last 14 years — the league's international appeal has suffered. Bayern executives estimate the club accounts for around 50% of the Bundesliga's global brand value, and board member Rouven Kasper urged the league to increase its presence in overseas markets, similar to the Premier League and La Liga.
Dortmund's Different Approach
Borussia Dortmund CEO Carsten Cramer acknowledged the economic gap between Dortmund and elite clubs like Bayern, Real Madrid, and Premier League sides, admitting they cannot compete for Ballon d'Or-caliber players purely on trophies. Instead, Dortmund markets closeness and a unique fan culture, which has seen global interest grow despite not winning the title since 2012.
Klassiker Draw Fuels Title Race Hopes
Former Dortmund defender Patrick Owomoyela believes the current Dortmund squad under Niko Kovac has the defensive structure and creativity to challenge Bayern, though he cautioned that replicating the camaraderie of Jürgen Klopp's double-winning side is difficult in modern football. Saturday's 2-2 draw in Der Klassiker — where Bayern generated 4.48 expected goals to Dortmund's 0.74 — showed Bayern can be vulnerable. Owomoyela noted that even in a 6-1 cup win over Magdeburg, Bayern hit the woodwork multiple times, suggesting a quality opponent with belief could exploit those flaws.
The dispersal of Bayer Leverkusen's 2023-24 title-winning squad — with Florian Wirtz moving to Liverpool, Jeremie Frimpong and Piero Hincapié joining Premier League clubs, and Jonathan Tah transferring to Bayern — underscores the challenge of sustaining a challenger. Nevertheless, Dortmund's early-season pace alongside Bayern offers a flicker of optimism for a genuine title race, even as the league's structural realities persist.
