Football365
·9 September 2023
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·9 September 2023
Harry Kane speaks to reporters in a pre-match press conference.
Harry Kane admits it “hurt” watching his England team-mates win trophies and play in the Champions League during his time at Tottenham.
Kane swapped Spurs for Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window with the Premier League club receiving around €100m for the England striker’s services.
The 30-year-old has got off to a good start at the Allianz Arena with Kane contributing three goals and an assist in his first three Bundesliga matches.
Moving to Bayern Munich gives Kane a better chance of winning trophies than at Tottenham but many didn’t understand his desire to leave England with the England international only 48 goals away from breaking Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goalscoring record.
Speaking ahead of England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine, Kane said: “As a competitor, when the boys [England team-mates] are playing the Champions League and I am just sitting at home watching it, I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that hurt.
“Of course, I want them to do well – Kyle [Walker] and all those guys to win when they are in competitions I am not in – but a part of me wants to have those experiences.
“With the other players in the team having done that, I am not sure jealous is the right word, but it does motivate me to go on and try to push myself towards some of those trophies the guys have got.”
When asked if he considered the Premier League scoring record before leaving for Germany, Kane added: “I think there was a lot of talk about it and the fact I was getting closer to it but I have never been anybody who has chased individual honours ahead of team awards. I have said before in interviews, ultimately it comes down to me to see how good I can be and I felt like I had to be playing Champions League football and competing for titles each year. Bayern Munich definitely gives me that.
“The record of course would be amazing and it might be amazing if one day I do end up breaking it. But it is not why I play football and my move shows that.”
England boss Gareth Southgate said last week that it can only be good for the Three Lions if Kane is winning trophies at club level.
And Kane agrees, he continued: “I think so. Of course, there is no hiding the fact it is the one thing missing from my career at the moment and when you have got players in the squad who have won things, you want to be part of that as well and have those experiences as well.
“Just the experiences of having title runs and cup runs and hopefully a Champions League run will only add, hopefully, to handling pressure in certain situations. If we are going to win anything with England we are going to have to deal with that. Me, being captain, I want to put myself in that position as much as possible.
“Whether I win or not, I the decision (to join Bayern) came down to putting me in those situations. With Bayern Munich sometimes we expect them to win because they have won it for the last 11 years.
“In my short period there is still a lot of pressure to win these trophies. We have not won the cup for a few years and we have not won the Champions League for a few years so there is definitely a lot to gain and a lot of pressure to take.
“Time will tell, but at the moment I am enjoying that feeling and for the rest of the year it is a good competition to have.”