'Harry Kane number one to win Ballon d'Or' - Bayern Munich's Luis Díaz
Luis Díaz has backed Bayern Munich teammate Harry Kane to win this year's Ballon d'Or, describing the England captain as "magnificent" and "special".
Díaz is among the 30 nominees for football's most prestigious individual award, alongside Bayern trio Kane, Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano. Speaking to the Bundesliga, the Colombian made it clear who he believes should take home the prize when the winner is announced at the official ceremony in London on Monday, 26 October.
The Colombian forward, 29, also shared what it's like to play alongside Olise, and why he thinks Borussia Dortmund are one of the record champions' biggest threats in this season's Bundesliga title race.
Bundesliga: Talking about you as an individual, that season got you nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Does it mean a lot for you to be included on that shortlist for the best in the world?
Luis Díaz: "Yes, obviously. It's something extra, because not many get the chance to be nominated. It's really special for me. I'll remember it forever and throughout my career. You set yourself goals and objectives. Sometimes you can't imagine going so far, but when these things happen to you, it makes you happy. You know you're doing good work, that you had an incredible year. Obviously it makes me proud to be on that list."
Watch: The best of Luis Díaz in the Bundesliga
Bundesliga: You joined a team full of stars. You obviously knew of some of them before, but who’s impressed you most in the team after working with them every day?
Díaz: "Who's impressed me most? I'd say Harry [Kane]. For me, Harry is special. I already knew him. We faced each other in England several times. I already knew he scored a lot of goals, but sharing every day with him, seeing how he trains, seeing the mentality he has. That’s impressed me more.
"I feel like he does everything perfectly. I think he was the person who surprised me the most, alongside Michael [Olise]. Michael surprised me a huge amount as well, mostly because of his quality and the way he plays, what he does with the ball, how calm he is. We’ve created a great group up front and at the back. We work as a team at the moment. That's what makes Bayern special."
Bundesliga: You recently told me that Harry Kane is the best player in the world. If you had to describe him in one sentence, how would you describe how Kane plays?
Díaz: "One sentence… That's hard. Magnificent. I can't find the perfect word to describe him, because he's had such a great year. And even before then he was showing he's one of the best players in the world. He showed it the year before. For me, he's number one to win it [the Ballon d’Or]. Hopefully he gets it. We're trying to make his case to win it. Lots of luck to him."
Bundesliga: We'll talk about Olise the player, but you also said he's a person who impressed you. Everyone knows him as well for what he's like off the pitch. Is he like that normally every day? Is he so eccentric or is it just a show for the media and the fans?
Díaz: "I think that's just how he is. That's how he is. We’re with him every day and that’s how he is. It's kind of his personality. He's quite quiet, but he's also very willing to help you, like on the pitch when he'll give you some instructions to help you to defend or to make the move for the pass he wants to play.
"He's very sharp with those things. You don't always see it on the pitch, but he's very aware of it. It's the same in training as well, where he always tries to improve. He stays behind after training to practise his shooting. He's got an incredible shot. I think it's those details that make him different. His focus is on himself. He also wants to be one of the best. He's humble, a good guy. He laughs and jokes like everyone. But for me, that's his personality and it's fine like that."
Bundesliga: On the pitch, he's very difficult for opponents to read. But you quickly got to understand him and know where he wants to put the ball. You know exactly what to do. Is there a chemistry between you?
Díaz: "Yes, but… At the start of this season, only because I've failed to take a few chances. I've had two or three chances where I know my move and he knows my movement. I shot straight when I know now I needed to shoot across. I think it's three, but they've all been very similar where he's put me through one-v-one against the goalkeeper. We know each other much more now compared to last year. But it's the same with every teammate. When you work with them every day, you get to know them even better."
Bundesliga: There's a lot of talk about the team’s flexibility. Is Vincent Kompany obsessed by tactics or does he tell you to do your thing and say, 'Lucho, do what you know? You guys are the best'.
Díaz: "It depends. When it comes to attacking, it's more like that, playing freely but also respecting your role on the pitch. You’re free. Look for spaces that teammates create. And that makes it a bit easier for us to get at goal, which we've seen in our games so far.
"Defensively, things are a bit more… I wouldn't say he's obsessed, but he demands more in wanting us to all defend. We need to have good positioning to defend better. He says when you defend better, you attack better. That's really important. So there we do what the coach asks from us."
Bundesliga: Last season was almost the perfect season. You only came up just short in the Champions League. How do you improve on that season? How do you keep improving?
Díaz: "Having that mentality of always wanting more, not just being content. What happened has now happened. We had a great season, but if you don't back up that year in the same way or even better, I think it ends up being a forgotten year and we won't do anything. It's clear for us that we have to go for every title we can, go for it all. We have to work for that, take things one step at a time.
"We’re back from our holidays… Well, we've had a few matches, but we're getting back into things bit by bit. We felt good in the last game, obviously also up against a difficult opponent. But I think we'll improve a lot more than we're doing now. All calm. I know we're going to have a great season and hopefully surpass last season."
Bundesliga: Lots of people say that Dortmund will be Bayern's biggest rivals. Do you as a team agree?
Díaz: "Dortmund are going to continue to be Dortmund. They're a good team and opponent, who we always face just like we do every other team. But obviously we know they're a very tough opponent. Dortmund are Dortmund. We've got to be alert, remain calm. Every match we go out to play, we look at it the same way, going out to win and pick up three points and win the league."
Watch: Bayern beat Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup
Bundesliga: You've got the first match against them soon. Are those direct match-ups important in determining the title?
Díaz: "Yes, definitely. We've got to win, pick up three points, because it's going to be really important in the course of the league. These match-ups can determine the title. If you lose, it's tough, because you've lost an advantage and it's now harder to get into that position. We've got to counteract what they do, and we've just got to keep doing our job and get results."
