‘Unique winner’: Bayern Munich striker and world footballer Harry Kane suddenly makes a slight U-turn
A week after winning the Ballon d’Or, Harry Kane highlighted what was unusual about his selection, both in terms of his style of play and his career path, and took a slight swipe at former critics.
Before the Ballon d'Or award, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe spent weeks campaigning hard (and rather embarrassingly). Harry Kane, every inch the modest English gentleman, held back and let his performances do the talking.
The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker won the vote for the world's best footballer without promoting himself and has since been showered with praise around the world. Now he appears ready to talk about his journey and his qualities. Kane is going on the verbal offensive, too.
At the press conference before Bayern Munich's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday (9pm), Kane made his case. "I have a unique style and, in that respect, I'm a unique Ballon d'Or winner," he said.
"There aren't many strikers who play the way I do, who put up my numbers while also dropping into midfield and defence and helping out in many different areas," Kane explained, sounding unusually self-focused. He also sees a chance to leave a legacy: "Maybe that will change how number nines are viewed in the future and give young players a different approach to playing in that position. I'm proud."
Jose Mourinho had a decisive influence on Harry Kane
One coach played a special role in Kane's development into a complete striker, despite working with him for only around a year and a half at his former club Tottenham Hotspur: Jose Mourinho, now back at Real Madrid. "When I joined Tottenham's first team, I was more of a number nine," Kane recalled. His long-time coach Mauricio Pochettino had used him as a traditional centre-forward.
"Jose then gave me more freedom. I knew passing was one of my greatest strengths. Perhaps it just wasn't noticed as much because I was seen as a striker," Kane said. He particularly recalled a "conversation with Jose about fulfilling my full potential. From that moment on, my game changed a little."
The exchange with the self-styled "Special One" was captured on film. Amazon Prime happened to be following Spurs that season for their "All or nothing" series. Mourinho spoke about turning Kane into a "Movie Star" of football. Kane, who had previously said he wanted to reach the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, nodded in agreement. Seven years later, he has reached the heights Messi and CR7 once occupied.
Under Mourinho in the 2020/21 season, Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot and recorded the most assists. He has continued to develop since his €100 million move to Bayern Munich in 2023.
Kane and the differences between him and Yamal, Mbappe, Messi and Ronaldo
Kane returned to the word "proud" again and again at the press conference, exactly one week after the vote crowned him the world's best footballer. Unlike his rivals Yamal and Mbappe, or the former serial winners Messi and Ronaldo, he was not considered a superstar at a young age. He does not have their glamour and will never match their worldwide fame.
"My path was a little different from those of other Ballon d'Or winners. After difficult moments, especially early in my career, people perhaps didn't think I would reach this level. But thanks to hard work, resilience and determination, I've done it," Kane said. Then came an indirect swipe at his critics: "People who know and understand football have always been fans of me, how I play and how I approach games."
He also recalled the mockery he faced for going so long without a trophy. Before winning two league titles and one DFB Cup with Bayern Munich, Kane had left Tottenham, the club close to his heart, without a single title. The defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final was particularly bitter. It came at Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano, where he now returns with Bayern Munich to face Atletico.
"I have the chance to erase the painful memory of 2019," Kane said. Tuesday offers one chance. The bigger one comes on 5 June, when the Champions League final takes place there again.
