Harry Kane says he feels “more respected” and has more of an “aura” since swapping Tottenham for Bayern Munich - and believes the move has put him firmly in the Ballon d’Or picture.
Kane is well into his second season in Munich, having left Spurs in the summer of 2023 at the end of an almost two-decade-long association with the club.
Despite excelling for England and being among the Premier League’s leading forwards for most of the previous decade, there was often a sense that Kane was not entirely appreciated, both within and beyond these shores.
Since moving to Bayern, however, the 31-year-old’s reputation on the continent has grown, thanks in no small part to a remarkable record of 99 goal involvements in just 82 games.
On Friday night, Kane will lead England out against Albania at Wembley for the start of Thomas Tuchel’s reign and believes he does so as an even better player than that who left Spurs two summers ago.
“Just being at a club like Bayern Munich has helped push me on even more, confidence-wise and responsibility-wise,” he explained. “Sometimes when you’re playing in these types of teams where you’re getting loads of chances, when you‘re expected to score 30, 40 a season, that’s an expectation I like to have. It almost puts more pressure on myself to perform.
“I feel like I’ve definitely got better, I've improved, and maybe the aura of me as a player is a bit more respected than what it has been in the past, because you’re playing in big games, big nights.”
Kane’s critics have often pointed to his failure to win a major trophy for either club or country but that drought appears almost certain to end this season, with Bayern six points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with only eight games to play.
I scored over 40 goals [at Spurs], but I was never going to win the Ballon d’Or because we didn't win the team trophies
Harry Kane
The former Tottenham star was never short of individual honours during his time in north London, winning the Premier League golden boot three times, but now feels the lifting major club honours will have him in contention for the most prestigious award of all: the Ballon d’or.
“One hundred per cent,” he said. “I felt that last season as well. I scored over 40 goals, but obviously, I was never going to win the Ballon d’Or because we didn't win the team trophies.
“I felt like, probably at Spurs, no matter how many goals I scored, ultimately unless you win the title and the Champions League, you’re not going to be in those conversations. I finished 10th in the Ballon d’Or while at Spurs and that was as high as I probably could have finished.
“That’s probably what I mean in terms of being respected more worldwide, on the bigger stage. For something like that, you have to win enough team trophies to be considered in that and probably score 40-odd goals, but that is a possibility this season. That is definitely something I would love to try to achieve.”
