When Harry Kane was awarded the Ballon d’Or for his exemplary season at Bayern Munich, one of the arguments in his favor was his all-round game. Under Vincent Kompany, Kane does not function as a regular striker, instead preferring to drop deep and make splitting passes like a quarterback. So, how about moving into midfield permanently?
“That’s something I’d like to try at some point,” said Kane, when asked if he wanted a deeper role someday (via @iMiaSanMia).
“Even as a youngster at Tottenham, I played
in midfield and in various different positions. When I started becoming a regular starter in Tottenham’s first team under Mauricio Pochettino, he saw me as a number 9 because I was scoring goals and constantly making runs in behind the defense.”
“Then José Mourinho came along and probably took my game to another level because he gave me a lot of freedom. I knew that passing was one of my greatest strengths and that, when I dropped deeper, I was also good at receiving and controlling the ball under pressure. That season, I won both the Premier League Playmaker Award and the Golden Boot.”
“Since joining Bayern, Vinnie and our style of play have given us a lot of freedom. That applies not just to me, but to other players as well. We can drop deeper, even into defensive areas, and influence the game from there. Over the past few years, that freedom, together with my increasingly good understanding of the game, has helped me develop enormously. For me, it’s great to know that I can continue doing all of that while still scoring goals. After all, last season I scored more goals than ever before in my career. That shows there isn’t just one way to play football or score goals. There are many different possibilities.”
Kane has already taken a back seat in scoring these past few weeks, instead racking up assists every game. Fans of FC Bayern are a little bewildered by the change, though nothing has fundamentally changed in the way he interprets his game. If this is the beginning of a shift in how the England captain plays for club and country, maybe the next Ballon d’Or will be won by a midfielder.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
