🚨 Time for changes in the XIs for France v Wales
After beating England against the odds, France can get their quarter-final qualification back on track against Wales, who lost their first Euro appearance.
Today's match is being played at the Kybunpark in St. Gallen with these line-ups:
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France's starting XI
Peyraud-Magnin; N'Dongala, Samoura, Sombath, Bacha, Toletti, Geyoro, Majri, Diani, Malard and Mateo.
Wales' starting XI
Wales make four changes from the defeat to the Netherlands on Saturday, including one in goal. Middleton-Patel replaces Olivia Clark.
Kayleigh Barton, Rachel Rowe and Ffion Morgan, who came on as substitutes against the Netherlands, replace Hannah Cain, Hayley Ladd and Rhiannon Roberts.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
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Why Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha has swapped football for cricket
Gurinder Chadha's cult 2002 sports film Bend It Like Beckham ends with Jesminder Bhamra's white, Irish boyfriend and football coach Joe playing cricket with her father, who had previously been excluded from the sport after arriving in Britain. This is why he is initially unsupportive of Jess' football career. It's a resolution that pulls together harmoniously the film's threads of family, national identity, acceptability and acceptance, community and belonging — reconciling relationships that were knottier an hour and a half earlier. Advertisement Almost 25 years on, British-Indian director Chadha has made her first foray into sports filmmaking since Bend It Like Beckham's unprecedented success, having been approached by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to create a blockbuster film trailer to promote the ongoing series against India Women. For the first time, England Women are playing India alongside the countries' men and mixed disability teams. 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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
6,252 calories and 1,245 grams of carbs: What it takes to fuel a winning ride at the Tour de France
Ben Healy crosses the line, claps his hands together, and raises them above his head. This is the best day of his life. His soigneur, Soso Roullois, has seen dozens of best days over her 18 years at the team. The glee is always the same. Her protocol is not. As Healy grinds to a halt, collapsing onto his handlebars, the first thing Roullois does is drape a cold towel over her rider's exposed neck. The second thing, seconds later, is to thrust a carton of cherry juice into his face. Advertisement EF Education-Easypost describe this as a 'priority intervention'. The specific strain of cherries contains a high concentration of antioxidants, which soak up unwanted chemical byproducts of the day's exertions. It's not quite champagne yet. But Healy still has duties to fulfil before he can lift his flowers. Each morning, EF's team chef makes a simple meal — today, it is a plain omelette and rice — and places it in the fridge of the team bus. This is the 'podium meal' — a quick hit for the rider to consume during media duties. For the first five stages, each has stayed inside the fridge uneaten. That changed on Thursday. Stage six was long, hot, and hilly — with EF inviting The Athletic to witness how they fuelled a rider during a day at the Tour de France. On this day, that rider happened to win the race. There is a competition going on aboard the EF team bus, outside the all-consuming competition of these three weeks. Each of their eight riders is the proud owner of a Tamagotchi, given to them in Lille — a miniature handheld computer game where an owner must keep their 'pet' alive. They need to be fed every few hours, given water, and mucked out. Before long stages, riders sometimes need to check on their Tamagotchi pets just before they leave the bus. The winner — whose pet lives longest — will choose dinner for the squad in Paris. Eight Tamagotchis — and eight riders who aren't looked after too dissimilarly. The Tour de France is as much of an attrition test as a bike race. You don't feed your Tamagotchi? You don't survive. After Richard Carapaz's withdrawal, the team's attention shifted from the high mountains to chasing stage wins. Thursday is a day they circled in their calendar as their Tour's first major opportunity. These tactical decisions affect their fuelling. A few days earlier, for example, on stage three's sprint stage into headwinds, EF had no chance of victory. The director sportifs instructed the team not to burn any more energy than necessary, launching another competition, this time to burn the fewest kilojoules possible. Australian rider Harry Sweeney won, and was rewarded with a miniature skateboard. Advertisement Stage six is different. They fancy the chances of Healy, a 24-year-old Irish puncheur who finished third in this year's Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Frenchman Alex Baudin, and Neilson Powless, the only Native North American to have ever competed at the Tour. These riders are fed more calories at dinner the night before. 'We plan almost to the millimetre what the riders are going to do,' says Anna Carceller, the team's Spanish nutritionist. 'We study the stage, our riders' expected roles, the feed zones, and we need to anticipate their efforts. 'With stage six's profile, the first thing that comes to mind is the climbing, because they need to eat when the race is not too hectic — products that are easy to digest, and easy to manipulate with their hands.' 'The distance suits Ben,' director sportif Tom Southam says pre-stage. 'The terrain, too. It's quite like Liège, and Nielson and Alex have also been close there. Once we have one of those guys out there in the breakaway — it's game on.' Powless and Healy are riding bikes with time-trial wheels for extra speed, but there are other details too. EF riders generally wear their radios on their fronts (rather than on their backs like most teams) for aerodynamic purposes, but one of the most important processes takes place at breakfast. Both have consumed a form of hydrogel known as Maurten Bicarb. Cyclists have used sodium bicarbonate for years to boost performance by helping mitigate the effects of lactic acid, making the legs feel less painful, but a historic issue has been stomach issues and slow absorption rates. The Maurten gel contains sodium bicarbonate as well as the usual electrolytes, and has been around for three or four seasons. It solidifies when it hits the stomach, hastening its progress into the gut, where it reliquifies and the body can take it in more quickly. The effects last all day. Advertisement But the product can only be used sporadically throughout the Tour, primarily because it can lead to excess water retention, potentially raising a rider's weight before an important mountain stage later in this race. This was a sign that EF were all in. 'On the fuelling front, this is the first notably warm day,' Southam observes pre-race. Temperatures in Normandy would reach 27C (81F). 'So far, it's not been complex, there hasn't been much pressure on the feeds or coming back to the car. That's going to amplify today — they're going to want more water, they're going to need more carbohydrates. And that temperature is only going to intensify as we move south.' Riders react differently in the heat. Some need to drink up to 50 per cent more water than others, with sweat levels playing a significant role. Before Thursday's race, some use a pre-hydration plan to top up on their sodium levels. 'We study not just their sweat rate, but also their sweat composition,' says Carceller. 'And we have a concrete prescription that is quite different for each rider. Since November, we've studied riders through all the temperatures they can face in the Tour, so we know how to support them.' 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The peloton has left the start town of Bayeux less than an hour earlier, and 39km up the road, an EF support van pulls over in a lay-by. Feeds are a major part of the day — an opportunity to provide riders with bidons (water bottles) and musettes (bags filled with gels and food). Soso, standing first, is carrying an energy drink, while Hulse, at the back, has water. They always stand in that order, so the riders know which product is which. Advertisement There have been major changes to feed zones this year, with rules introduced by the UCI, cycling's world governing body, to stop major teams from saturating the route with support, putting smaller squads at a disadvantage. The number of feeds each day is mandated — there are five today, plus one from the race directors' car — with team staff told exactly where they need to stand, and warned they cannot move more than a metre into the road. Teams have complained to race organisers that some feed locations raise the risk of crashes — for example, the stops on the way to the intermediate sprint or at the end of a long descent — especially because riders will often work their way across the peloton to grab their drink. Over half the peloton want to get in today's break, which will have a strong chance of reaching the race finish in Vire Normandie. But it has been difficult for any of EF's three favoured riders to get away — Healy has already attacked and just been brought back. It means the peloton is particularly fast as it approaches the Côte du Mont Pinçon, where EF's bottles are waiting. As Michael Valgren, their Danish rider, approaches at high speed, there is an audible thump as he takes his bidon. Hulse is knocked back almost two metres. 'Boom,' he shouts in exhilaration, after successfully handing it off. In some ways, breakfast is where EF's nutrition plan starts — 380g of rice porridge with berries, banana and maple syrup, six slices of white bread, and a three egg omelette — but in others, it is more useful to go back to last November, when the team first arrived at training camp. Each cyclist has different concrete needs — the heavier riders require almost 7,500 calories each day, while others burn only 5,900. For context, most guidelines suggest the average man should consume 2,500 calories per day. The team's nutritionists have a dashboard where they design the make-up and calorie content of each meal for each rider, which the team can then access on their phone. They then log everything they've eaten, which tells them how close they are to hitting their nutrient goals. For example, on stage six, Healy's breakfast demands are to consume 1,103 calories, including 225g of carbohydrate, 24g of protein, and 14g of fat. Breakfast is everything that happens before the race, lunch is the immediate post-race meal, plus snack, and dinner is their final meal at around 9pm. He hits every goal — and can be forgiven for exceeding his lunchtime fat target by one gram. At the race, EF has a team chef, Owen, who is based in a mobile kitchen at each hotel, allowing the setup to be standardised. Before the Tour, he designs each day's menu based on the stage profiles. How invested are the riders? 'Some will be very keen to understand all the reasons why they do what they do,' says Hulse. 'Others are happier not to use the mental energy. But Valgren says that this system is easier because it takes out the guesswork — they know they're doing the right thing, not hoping they are.' Advertisement In many ways, meals are the easy bit, taken in a relaxed atmosphere where brains are working at full capacity. The real challenge comes during the race, where riders must keep eating while on their physical limit, sometimes moving over 60 kilometers per hour, and while navigating 176 other riders in the bunch. 'We have two different kinds of gels, each with different flavours,' explains Carceller. They live in neatly ordered rows in the middle of the team bus. 'Then we have two different flavours of two different types of bar. Then there are Rice Krispies cakes, and two more products that the soigneurs prepare. So we have nine or 10 options for the riders, depending on their needs.' Back at the team bus in Vire-Normandie, awaiting the arrival of the riders, one of those Rice Krispies cakes is handed out. This one is Oreo flavour (Biscoff is the most popular), and it tastes cold, dense, and intensely of chocolate. By this point, with 100km of the stage remaining, Healy is finally away, one of nine escapees in a strong group. Also in the breakaway are Mathieu van der Poel, one of cycling's 'Big Four', Giro d'Italia champion Simon Yates, and American champion Quinn Simmons. With the pace having averaged 45.8kph up to this point, over rolling hills, this was a tough stage — the previous day's flat 33km time trial was less than 10kph quicker. 'Maybe I spent a bit too much energy to get in the break,' Healy said afterwards. 'But that's just the way I do it. It was just on the pedals all day.' It meant that his nutrition strategy had to keep up. Across the day, he would consume 6,300 calories. 'In the break, you start thinking about how to win the race,' explains Southam. 'What terrain's left and how to manage your fueling, because doing that in the first part when it's very busy with attacks is quite difficult. So getting enough in while you're jumping left and right… often, you need to catch up a little bit once you actually make the break.' Advertisement Typically, riders will aim for between 90 to 120 grams of carbohydrate per hour — for reference, the UK medical guidelines for an adult male is around 275g for the entire day. But for elite athletes, getting through over 180km of cycling each day, their bodies have become optimised for maximal intake. In recent years, the amount of carbohydrates that some riders can consume has rocketed. 'Some guys are now training their guts to handle up to 200g/hour,' says Hulse. 'We've been aware of up to 220g/hour being tolerated. Now that takes training — in the same way that you train your muscles and your cardiovascular system, you're training your gut as well. But if you can absorb it, you can burn it.' Healy, as a lighter rider, averages around 116g/hour over the stage — over half a kilogram of carbohydrate in four and a half hours, and more than a kilogram across the whole day. A typical source of power in the second half of the race was the team's frozen gels, which are refreshingly ice cold, but with a strange saltiness that the lemon and lime flavouring cannot mask. EF has two lines — one has a two-to-one ratio of glucose to fructose, while the 'turbo line' has a ratio of five to four. With 85km left, sitting in the bunch, Healy has a frozen turbo gel. 'The turbo line has a much higher fructose content,' Hulse explains. 'As an analogy, there are special doors out of the intestine. There are doors that only glucose can go through and doors that only fructose can go, but there's only a certain number of glucose doors — you can only absorb a certain capacity. 'Once you're saturated with glucose, you can't push any more through, but you can train the gut to have many more fructose doors. So it's useful towards the end of races, because fructose goes through different pathways — one goes to the liver, one gets stored in the muscles — so you can supplement your energy use.' With 63km remaining, Healy's fellow Irishman Eddie Dunbar attacks, riding in the purple jersey of the Australian Jayco-AlUla team. Healy bridges over, reeling in Dunbar. At this point, he has just two or three feed points remaining, though he will consume around six more products over the 90 minutes of race time remaining. Advertisement Poking through the bright pink primary colours, the black segments of Healy's jersey visibly show the dried sweat. His use of bicarb before the race will compensate for some of the losses, but he will drink water combined with electrolytes straight after the race. By now, Healy knows he has to go solo if he is to win the stage. Van der Poel's sprint is too dangerous, while other riders, such as Yates and Michael Storer, are stronger pure climbers. There are 42km left when Healy accelerates on a false flat downhill, coming deep and from the back of the group. He launches just before a rolling slope, meaning his chasers will have to increase their effort, while he can ride the momentum, and on a technical section. It takes them by surprise, and he quickly builds a 15-second lead. 'This is the f*****g kilometre of your life, mate,' Southam shouts from the team car as Healy attacks. 'Come on, this is the f*****g one.' During his initial attack, Healy pushes 8.98 watts/kilogram for 41 seconds, moving at 61.6kph. The first 3km of his solo effort sees him average 5.85 watts/kg, after 160km of racing. The numbers behind Ben's stage 6 win on his Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3 🤩#tdf2025 — EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) July 10, 2025 'He wanted to go in a technical spot somewhere with 40 to 60 kilometres remaining, to get a gap,' Southam said afterwards. 'I didn't want him to go on an uphill, and those technical areas aren't everywhere, so we just had to find the right place.' Watching on the bus, EF's soigneurs have stopped chopping watermelon to watch, its flesh marrying with the team kit. 'Allez Ben Healy,' is the cry. The gnocchi on the stovetop, which riders will eat on the bus post-race, is momentarily unattended. Gradually, Healy's lead grows. It ticks over one minute on the ascent of the 3.7km Côte de Saint-Michel-de-Montjoie, with just 30km to go. Simmons and Storer give chase, but cannot close the gap. Advertisement Given how much energy Healy expended in making the break, his team are still watching nervously. 'He'll still be continually fuelling, even at this stage, with 30 minutes left,' says Hulse, with 20km remaining. 'It's perhaps a little less hydration, but it's gels, basically, literally whatever you can get down that acts fast. Squeeze it in as quickly as you can, you don't have to chew it, and it's absorbed quickly.' Across the stage, Healy consumes seven chew bars, three gels, and four and a half energy drink bottles. It helps him sustain 5.6 watts/kilo over an hour-long attack. Thankfully, in the closing kilometres, his effort is almost over. By the final drag to the finish, his lead over Simmons is two minutes and 44 seconds. Healy looks up to the sky in wonder. 'It's what I've worked for all my life. Not just this year, the whole time. It's incredible, just hours and hours of work from so many people,' he said post-stage. 'I've not seen many better rides,' adds Southam. 'It was unbelievable, and his legs were just unbelievable today. All the guys just got on the bus and said how hard it was.' There, back in the air-conditioning of the bus, his teammates upload the information from the bike computers and fill in their fuel consumption during the race. This affects the size of their dinner. A recovery shake follows the cherry juice — this 20 to 30 minute window is key for the body to transform sugar into glycogen. Then it is time for gnocchi — back at the podium, Healy is tucking into his omelette and rice. Dinner, later that night, is celebratory — hummus, sweet potato, pasta and homemade sauce. BBQ chicken thighs provide the flavour. EF's riders even get dessert, in the shape of banana bread and mixed berries — but the real treat is popped open by Healy in the last of the evening light. 'I just want to say thank you to everyone,' he says, holding the bottle of champagne. It is tradition that each member of the squad and support staff has a glass after a stage win. Advertisement 'You know this sort of thing is impossible without a team. It was a full team effort to get in the break today, and for sure a full team effort on the road, directing me and giving me bottles. It just comes down to these little margins, and that's what we've been doing perfectly here.' In the car back from the stage, his race winner's duties having made him miss the team bus, he rhapsodises about his nutrition. 'Anna just gets it,' he says. 'She's amazing.' But when she logged onto the tracking app, some hours after the race, Canceller might have been momentarily disappointed. Healy may be a Tour de France stage winner, but for the first time in months, he forgot to upload his dinner — and the glass of champagne. What's more? He's lost his Tamagotchi too. (Top photos: EF Education-Easypost/Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Ranking the Ballon d'Or 2025 favourites: Has the Club World Cup changed things?
While the fixture schedules differ across the six FIFA confederations, Sunday's Club World Cup final provides a perfect punctuation point to 2025. Either Chelsea or Paris-Saint Germain will get their hands on the trophy, but there is still a lingering question remaining. Has this summer's tournament strengthened any player's grip on the Ballon d'Or? Advertisement On the one hand, our opinions on a player should change little after a four-week tournament played on pitches of questionable quality in scorching conditions. On the other, PSG have used the tournament to rubber-stamp themselves as the world's best team, showcasing a glut of players who stand head and shoulders above anyone else to kick a football in the past 12 months. Here, The Athletic has updated its piece from late May with the top 10 contenders to win the award, breathing new life into a debate that will rumble on until the winner is announced in Paris in September. Let's be kind to each other in the comments, eh… 'As far as the Ballon d'Or is concerned, several players could win it, and some conditions are inevitable,' Luis Enrique told reporters after his PSG side's semi-final victory against Real Madrid on Wednesday. 'They have to score and assist, but they also have to bring silverware to their teams, and if there is one player who has done that this season, it is Ousmane Dembele, and he is far above any player. This is my opinion, and I will repeat it.' Who are we to argue? Sure, Dembele (top image) has only started one game in the United States this summer after recovering from a quadriceps injury, but the 28-year-old was integral as PSG swatted Real Madrid aside in their semi-final. Goal contributions? Dizzying levels in 2024-25 with 38 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, the leading combined tally for his side. Silverware? Just the quadruple and a potential fifth trophy. A simply outstanding campaign for a player who some observers had previously labelled as an unfulfilled talent. What an incredible year it has been for Vitinha. Beyond the trophies at club level, the 25-year-old won the Nations League with Portugal in June, starring in the centre of midfield against Spain in the final. Winning is now a habit for Vitinha, and it is precisely because he is in the team that his sides have so much success. He is a metronome, a tempo-setter, a dictator of play — no player in this season's Champions League or Club World Cup has made more passes than the midfielder. Dropping into space to receive the ball, pulling wide into full-back areas, catalysing his side's attack when it needs an injection of energy — Vitinha does it all, and it is little surprise that he has clocked up the third-most minutes under Luis Enrique in all competitions this season. He might not be the player who gets the adulation at the top end of the field, but watching Vitinha will give you a newfound appreciation for what a midfield technician really is. After allowing the dust to settle from Liverpool's title-winning campaign, Salah's attacking output somehow looks even more impressive. With 29 league goals and 18 assists, Salah picked up the Premier League's Golden Boot and Playmaker awards, with a combined 47 goal contributions equalling Alan Shearer's (1994-95) and Andrew Cole's (1993-94) Premier League record, both of whom achieved the same numbers in a 42-game season. That tally of 47 was comfortably higher than any other player across Europe's big five leagues last season. If it is raw individual numbers you are searching for, then look no further than Liverpool's talisman. A new contract will keep Salah at Liverpool for at least two more seasons, and it is clear that the team is set up to get the best out of him, with a small compromise in his defensive work allowing him to deliver such eye-watering attacking output. While Liverpool's last-16 exit in the Champions League might influence the perspective on Salah's season in the wider view, do not underestimate just how impressive his campaign was from an individual standpoint. Similar to Dembele, it was always known that Raphinha had undeniable talent, but few people expected him to post such impressive attacking numbers, seemingly out of nowhere. In all competitions, the Brazil international registered 34 goals and 22 assists for Barcelona as they won La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana. With some of his electric performances in the Champions League, many thought that Raphinha was destined to lead Hansi Flick's side to the complete set — but a stubborn Inter dumped Barcelona out in dramatic circumstances in the semi-finals. For much of the campaign, Barcelona were operating in parallel with PSG as a side who were on track to win every trophy available to them in 2024-25. As unfortunate as it might sound, players who win the Champions League often edge ahead of others in the race for the Ballon d'Or. Take nothing away from Raphinha's season individually, but not lifting the biggest prize in European club football might work against him. The fact that a 17-year-old (he turns 18 on Sunday) is in the conversation to be named the world's best player tells you how talented this youngster is. The sensational quality that Yamal has in his left foot is prodigious. Only Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and Liverpool's Salah posted more assists than Yamal's 13 across Europe's big five leagues. Advertisement Given Spain's European Championship victory last summer, there were already no doubts that Yamal could cut it on the biggest stage. However, his performances in the Champions League took things to a new level, becoming the youngest scorer in the semi-finals of the competition after tormenting Inter in both legs. He might have ended up on the losing side, but his beautiful curled effort in the first leg will live long in the memory — and was named the Goal of the Tournament by UEFA. Lamine Yamal's solo effort against Inter is the Fans' Goal of 2024/25 😮💨@Heineken | #UCLGOTT — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 6, 2025 If not this year, Yamal will win the Ballon d'Or. It is only a matter of time. To some, this pick might fall in the 'Rodri category', but people should not sleep on just how good Fabian Ruiz has been in the past 12 months. After Spain's Euro 2024 victory, a further four trophies have followed in a PSG shirt, and the 29-year-old has been at the heart of all of it. Such is his importance to Luis Enrique's side that only Bradley Barcola has made more than Fabian's 60 appearances across all competitions this season. His movement is so intelligent, moving into pockets of space that no opposition player wants to venture into, before crashing into the box to get on the end of a cross, as he did so well against Real Madrid this week. It feels harsh to omit Joao Neves from the top 10 when his two midfield team-mates make the list here, but at 20, his influence will grow. His time will surely come. For now, there is a feeling that Fabian is not getting the credit he deserves for the role he has played in a winning machine. We are here to give that to him. If you were to go by the mantra that the best ability is availability, Pedri is the best player in Barcelona's squad, according to head coach Hansi Flick. The 22-year-old played 59 times in all competitions last season — more than any of his team-mates in 2024-25. Pedri can dictate the pace of Barcelona's possession single-handedly, with the ability to play a zipped through ball to a team-mate that most players would not even see. Using data from analytics company SkillCorner, no players made more line-breaking passes in La Liga than their midfield magician. Much like Raphinha, it is not that Pedri has gotten worse since The Athletic's previous rankings, but a subtle shuffle was inevitable once the biggest European trophy was handed out. Pedri continues to be one of the best midfielders in world football, and if there is a gap in your defensive lines, he will exploit it. Luis Enrique was pouring more praise on his players this week when saying that Hakimi was one of the best right-backs he has seen in his career. With such incredible form in the last 12 months, it is difficult to disagree. The 26-year-old's ability to get up and down the pitch verges on teleportation at times, supporting his side's attack as the furthest man forward but somehow the first one to make a tackle in the defensive third when PSG are on the back foot. It is that versatility that is so impressive — tucking inside into half-space areas, hugging the touchline, and making underlapping runs beyond the forward line to create a chance or score himself. 'Hakimi has freedom, he is not a full-back,' Luis Enrique said after PSG's Club World Cup victory over Real Madrid. 'When we have the ball, he can be a forward, a winger, a player between the lines, or a pivot. When we don't have the ball, he is a full-back who presses high, but he also has defensive work.' Full-backs should get more visibility in the Ballon d'Or shortlists, and none of them deserve it more than Hakimi this season. Mbappe's end to the season was not ideal. Acute gastroenteritis kept him out of much of Real Madrid's Club World Cup campaign, before an anonymous performance against PSG as his side were eliminated. Nevertheless, the individual numbers were strong for the 26-year-old during his first year in Spain. In May, Mbappe surpassed Ivan Zamorano's record of 37 goals (1992-93) scored in all competitions in a debut season for Madrid. Similarly, Mbappe broke Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano's record of 27 goals in a debut La Liga season (1953-54), finishing the campaign with 31 league goals. Sadly, individual numbers only get you so far in the Ballon d'Or reckonings, and overall, Madrid disappointed in Carlo Ancelotti's final season in charge. It would be a huge surprise if Mbappe managed to top the list in September. Two excellent finishes against Flamengo in Bayern Munich's last-16 victory encapsulated everything Kane is about. Barely looking up to see where the goal was, Kane was dead-eyed as he struck both efforts into the corner in acts of pure muscle memory. In truth, Bayern's exploits in the Club World Cup did little to move the dial in Kane's favour to lift the Ballon d'Or, but across the year, Kane's 26 goals were the most in the Bundesliga as the 31-year-old clinched the first trophy of his career. More broadly, only Dembele and Omar Marmoush had a higher rate of goals plus assists than Kane's 1.3 per 90 minutes across Europe's big five leagues. With back-to-back Kicker-Torjagerkanone's (the Bundesliga top goalscorer trophy) on his mantelpiece, people have perhaps taken Kane's productivity for granted in recent years. In a world where reliable out-and-out No 9s are a little trickier to come by, Kane is as much of a guarantee for goals as any player in world football.
