Neither a coach nor a player: the story of a man Harry Kane wanted to honour the moment he received the Ballon d'Or
Away from the spotlight
Some names rarely grace the covers of magazines, yet remain woven into the history of great athletes. Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco is one of them. A sports doctor born in Madrid who spent decades living in Canada, he became a pivotal figure in Harry Kane's life, so much so that the England striker wanted to remember him at the most important moment of his career: collecting the Ballon d'Or.
Their relationship began in March 2020, when Kane was going through a difficult period after suffering a complete tear of the hamstring tendon in his left thigh during a match on 1 January of that year, as reported by "Marca".
The injury required surgery and forced the striker, then still at Tottenham, off the pitch. That was when Elorriaga stepped in, a professional who spent most of his career away from the spotlight of European football.
Since then, the Madrid-based doctor has guided the England international through his preparation and recovery, running individual training sessions designed to sharpen his physical fitness and help him cope with the demands of competing at the highest level.
More than six and a half years on, the partnership endures, and the player has acknowledged it publicly. Kane told "Marca" last September: "Alejandro has played an extremely important role in my success".
He was even clearer about the importance of the collaboration: "We work a great deal behind the scenes".
Kane counts the Spanish doctor among the main reasons he has kept his level, played this many matches and continued to develop over the years. That carries particular weight for a player who has hit his best scoring figures during his time at Bayern Munich.
Who is Alejandro Elorriaga?
So who is the man Kane wanted to thank in front of the football world? According to the Spanish newspaper, Elorriaga has run the contemporary medical acupuncture programme at McMaster University in Canada since 1998, where he also works as a clinical professor in the department of anaesthesia. His career is built on pain management and functional recovery, with a particular focus on the needs of professional athletes.
Known for his specialism, he prefers daily work to media appearances. His name has risen to prominence through his relationship with Kane and the value the player places on physical preparation in an ever more competitive game, where the schedule leaves no room for rest and any absence could wreck a team's plans. Continuity has become a priceless asset.
Kane's numbers show the scale of the doctor's reputation. The England man ended the 2025-2026 season with 73 goals in 65 matches for Bayern Munich and his country, the best of his career.
Behind that outstanding run lie talent, hard work, teammates and a side that lets him shine. He himself also points to other professionals such as Alejandro Elorriaga, a man whose role rarely shows when the striker wheels away to celebrate a goal.
