The 2020 documentary "All or nothing: Tottenham Hotspur" has revealed an in-depth perspective on Harry Kane's psychology. In a private conversation with coach Jose Mourinho, Kane shared:
"When we were at a club like Tottenham, we played well and so did I, but I wanted to be Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi."
Some people may have mocked the English striker's ambition as shown on screen. However, despite the continuous changes after Mauricio Pochettino left the position of head coach of Spurs in 2019, Kane's impressive numbers have not declined.
Kane's explosive start to the 2025-2026 season with Bayern Munich (18 goals in 10 matches) has put him on par with Messi and Ronaldo. However, looking deeper into the overall play, those flashy scoring statistics are just the tip of the iceberg.
Kane has never had such an impact on the ball deployment stage as he is now. Goals are still regular, but he now plays an important role in Bayern's early, mid- and late attacks. Kane is improving and that improvement is contributing to creating perhaps the best season of his career.
filling Jamal Musiala's void
When star midfielder Jamal Musiala was injured at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, he left a significant creative void. And Harry Kane has taken on that role.
"With Jamal on the pitch, things were a little different. Getting the ball from the defenders, getting the ball, when we play together, it's better for him to move and take that," Kane explained after Bayern's win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
"This season, that has allowed me to play a little further, develop my qualities in turning, taking the ball forward and then moving into the box," the England international added.
The goal he scored in that match perfectly illustrated this new role. Kane sucked the entire Frankfurt defence, then approached Joshua Kimmich right at the center circle. When the ball was passed to Serge Gnabry on the edge of the penalty area, the English striker immediately accelerated from the middle of the field, exploiting the space he had just created before. The England captain then had a familiar shot from outside the box.
However, Kane's style of play is not simply to move late to score. He is now an important link in Bayern's system, often dropping deep into the home field to receive the ball and launch an attack right from the back.
How did Harry Kane's skill set develop?
In his early career and in his first two seasons in Germany, Kane's playing style mainly focused on creating opportunities or scoring goals, but was largely driven towards finishing.
Under Pochettino at Tottenham, he has accumulated an astonishing number of shots and touches in the box. It was only in his final stages at Spurs that Kane's qualities of ball-keeper, distributor and creator gradually became apparent.
Kane's heat map in his last two seasons at Tottenham shows that change. His active areas increasingly appeared in the home field, near the center circle, as well as in the gaps between the center back and full-back. These are positions further from the goal but strategically oriented in ball circulation and opening up attack space.
In his first two seasons at Bayern Munich, Kane mainly worked in the opposing half, where he could maximize his goal-scoring instinct and accurate finishing.
Statistics show that this season, Kane has found the perfect balance between scoring and assisting. His number of passes has improved as well as in the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 seasons, while the number of touches in the box has never been higher than it is now.
The effect of that is undeniable. Being late, Kane himself said, has helped him increase his assists and chances for his teammates. He has become the solution to Bayern's midfield creativity problem, with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka not typically midfielders.
