Harry Kane believes growing ‘aura’ could lead to Ballon d’Or: ‘I feel more respected’

Harry Kane is targeting the Ballon D'Or this year, believing Bayern Munich's competitiveness gives him the chance he never had at Tottenham Hotspur.

The striker credited new England manager Thomas Tuchel for persuading him to join the club, as he now gets closer to the first domestic title of his career in the Bundesliga, while also having a real chance in the Champions League.

Kane, who has scored 32 goals in 37 games for Bayern this season, believes he now has more of an "aura" and "respect" as an elite player, simply by being at the club, and when the 31-year-old was directly asked if winning the Ballon D'Or was on his mind replied: “100 per cent”.

Kane believes he can rival Mohamed Salah, Raphinha and Kylian Mbappe for the Ballon d’Or (The FA via Getty Images)

"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,” Kane said while on England duty at Tottenham’s training centre.

“I felt like, probably here 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.

“Those opportunities are there [now]. 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.

"Just being at a club like Bayern Munich has helped push me on even more, confidence-wise and responsibility-wise. 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 elaborated on his relationship with Tuchel, who takes his first England game on Friday night at Wembley, against Albania.

"Obviously I get on really well with him. He was part of the reason I joined Bayern in the first place,” said England’s captain.

“We had conversations before the transfer happened. He brings a lot of energy both on and off the pitch. I think, when we're working, training, there is a lot of enthusiasm, ideas on how he wants to play.

Tuchel broke Bayern Munich’s record transfer record when he signed Kane from Tottenham (Getty Images)

“And also in the meetings as well, he has clear ideas and patterns he wants to get across to us. We have a short space of time here. He's quite relaxed and enjoys seeing us together, having fun together. Overall, from my experience with him, I have a good relationship with him."

The striker is now expected to play much closer to goal, following periods under Gareth Southgate where he would drift into midfield. Kane spoke of how he and Tuchel are essentially picking up from their time together at Bayern.

"He didn't have loads of rules for me,” Kane said. “First and foremost, he saw me as a goalscorer, a number nine. Especially when we were in their half, he wanted me to be the guy in the box. Hopefully getting the most chances in the team.

“When we were building something up, he was happy for me to come into the link play, from the keeper to getting the ball out. But he spoke a lot with the other players about, when that happens, having runners in behind so if I did turn and look forward, I had a target. But he saw me as the goalscorer. More of a number nine than 10.

Harry Kane has 10 goals in this season’s Champions League - just one behind top scorer Raphinha (Getty Images)

"If you take what we've done with him at club level, this is different, but he wants us to have a lot of the ball in the opponents half, counter press really quick, keep teams pinned into their box. Get as many balls into the box as possible and I guess I play a big part in that in hopefully scoring the goals.

“Without giving too much away about how we want to play, hopefully it will be a lot about having the ball in their area. That's kind of where I thrive the most. If I can get two, three, four, five chances a game, I feel like I can score a couple."

Kane also commented on the difference between Tuchel and predecessor Southgate.

"They are totally different characters, in the way they portray themselves, in meetings, etc. Gareth is a bit quieter. We had more conversations. I probably wouldn't have as many with Thomas.

“They're definitely different. In terms of coaching, Thomas probably takes a bit more on the pitch than what Gareth did. There's definitely some differences."

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