The 32-year-old spoke to L'Equipe ahead of England's World Cup preparations, setting out candidly how a tournament triumph would transform his chances of claiming the award that has eluded him throughout a career defined by relentless goalscoring without major silverware.
"Ballon d'Or if we win the World Cup? I would definitely be among the favourites."
He was careful, however, not to overstate his own case.
"I am not the type of person who claims to deserve a Ballon d'Or. I try to let my performances on the pitch speak for themselves."
Kane's season numbers make the argument almost without need of embellishment. He scored 36 Bundesliga goals in 31 appearances — winning a third successive Golden Boot in the German top flight — and struck a hat-trick in the DFB-Pokal final as Bayern Munich defeated VfB Stuttgart to complete a domestic double. He added further goals in the Champions League, where Bayern were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
The Ballon d'Or race heading into the World Cup is principally a three-way contest between Kane, Bayern team-mate Michael Olise — who contributed 22 goals and 31 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions — and PSG forward Ousmane Dembele, who scored in the Champions League final as the current holder bids for a successive award.
England enter the tournament among the favourites and Kane is adamant the squad has the quality to go all the way under head coach Thomas Tuchel.
"The ambition is to win it. That has to be our goal."
Whether the World Cup delivers that ambition will determine whether Kane becomes the first English Ballon d'Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001.