HARRY KANE INTERVIEW: England captain reveals all on possible Tottenham return, how Vincent Kompany took him to a new level at Bayern Munich, the secrets he learned in the US that can lead us to World Cup glory and what he wants to do next

Even by his lofty standards, Harry Kane admits that his staggering numbers this season are something else.

The England captain has scored 18 goals in just 10 games, or one every 46 minutes, and accounts for 47 per cent of Bayern’s 38 goals so far.

In Germany, they call him 'Hat-trick Harry' and Kane, who smiles when we mention that nickname, believes that he might just be peaking at 32.

‘It’s the best start to any season I’ve ever had for sure,’ Kane tells Daily Mail Sport . ‘I just feel really good. I’ve been here in Munich for a couple of years now and everything’s settled off the pitch. My wife and kids are happy and that all contributes.

'Physically, I’m in a good place. Mentally, I’m at that age now where I’ve got loads of experience. And I’m excited because I’m playing in a team that creates loads of chances and I know that if I get chances, I’m going to score.’

That confidence in front of goal has helped Kane tick off record after record. Last month, he became the 19th player to reach 100 goals for Bayern. In an exclusive club containing Bayern legends like Gerd Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kane reached his century in record time, taking just 104 games.

It’s the fastest that a player this century has reached 100 goals for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues, beating a record previously held jointly by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland (105). The next goal he scores for Bayern will be the 400th of his club career.

Harry Kane is scoring more freely than ever, and his next strike for Bayern Munich will be the 400th of his club career

The England captain has scored a remarkable 18 goals in 10 Bayern games this season

Kane calls Munich a 'second home' and says his wife Kate and their four children are settled in Germany

Across Europe’s top five leagues, Kane reached 20 goal involvements in just 742 minutes of football - eclipsing the record of Lionel Messi, who took 749 minutes at the start of the 2011-12 season, when he won the Ballon d’Or.

And yet Kane has never really received the Ballon d'Or recognition that his astonishing record surely deserves. He finished 13th at this year's ceremony after a season in which he scored a whopping 49 goals in 62 appearances for Bayern and England, and the highest he has ever placed is 10th, in 2017, 2018 and 2024.

His tally of 21 goals in 13 games for club and country this season is only matched by Erling Haaland, who has 21 in 12 for Man City and Norway.

‘Once you reach these milestones, it’s about the next milestone,’ Kane insists. ‘Hopefully there’s many more to come.’

We are sat in one of the basement changing rooms at SV Heimstetten on the outskirts of Munich, with Kane speaking as an ambassador for STATSports. The setting is perhaps more reminiscent of Leyton Orient, where Kane scored the first of his 399 club goals, on loan from Spurs, than the glamour of Bayern.

Leaving Tottenham, where he had been on the books since the age of 11, two years ago was a bigger risk than it might have appeared for a player at the top of his game joining one of European football's powerhouses for £100million. But Kane is in no doubt that he made the right call.

‘It’s such a big club,’ says Kane, who finally broke his trophy duck this summer with the Bundesliga title. ‘I wanted to experience something different, a different league and a different culture.

'Bayern are known around Europe every year as one of the best and one of the favourites to win the Champions League. I wanted to test myself at that level and I’ve loved it on and off the pitch. It feels like my second home now. I’m enjoying every moment of it and hopefully it continues.’

It's all a far cry from Kane's early days, when he scored the first of his 399 club goals on loan at Leyton Orient in 2011

Celebrating with his Tottenham team-mates after becoming the club's record goalscorer in February 2023

Kane finally broke his trophy duck last season after inspiring Bayern to the Bundesliga title

After going trophyless in his first campaign in Germany, Kane and manager Vincent Kompany put that right last season. Little surprise too that the Englishman won the Golden Boot in both of his first two seasons in Germany, but those individual accolades are nothing new.

For Kane, the focus is very much on adding the silverware he knows his CV lacks, and this season, Bayern are flying under Kompany - played 10, won 10, scored 38, conceded eight. But winning the Bundesliga is almost a given at Bayern, or a minimum expectation, at least. They have managed it 12 times in the last 13 seasons, after all. So Kane knows that getting one trophy is not enough, and the next milestone is Treble-shaped.

‘We’ve got a great chance for all the trophies this year,' says Kane. 'Whenever you start a season with Bayern, you’re favourites. We haven’t had great cup runs since I’ve been here so we want to try and put that right.

‘Then in the Champions League, it’s still early stages but ultimately it’s about trying to win the competition. And going into the World Cup, you want to be at your best.'

Kane believes that Kompany has made him a better footballer, since taking over in the summer of 2024.

They faced off surprisingly few times in the Belgian's playing days, with only five appearances against each other - including while Kane was on loan at Norwich, the 2018 World Cup third-place play-off and a match where Kompany was only on the pitch for a single minute. But Kompany has clearly gleaned enough to take even this pure goalscorer to new heights.

‘I think he has (unlocked a different level in me),’ Kane insists. ‘He (Kompany) is a fantastic coach, not just tactically but also as a person. We’re very similar in our mindset when it comes to working as a team. Full credit to him because from the moment he came in, there were question marks about what he would bring and he’s been absolutely fantastic.

‘One thing that stands out (with Kompany) is more one-touch play around the box.  When you’re at a team like Bayern, you’re going to come up against teams with low blocks that defend deep.

Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has unlocked a new level in Kane's game

Kane knows that winning the Bundesliga is not enough at Bayern, and is eyeing a Treble this season

'I’m someone who likes to turn on the ball and play forward passes but that’s not always possible, so we’ve spoken a lot about opening my body, playing around the corner quickly with one-touch. I feel like I’ve added to my game - not getting stuck on the ball as much, and a bit more fluidity.

'I’m always trying to improve and he pushes that. It doesn’t matter if you’ve scored 400 goals or no goals, he’s trying to improve you as a player and a person and he’s definitely done that with me.’

Of those 400 goals, 280 came for Tottenham, surpassing Jimmy Greaves as the club's greatest ever goalscorer. But there's still Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 260 (Kane has 213) lurking, not to mention winning a trophy with his beloved Spurs.

In September, Thomas Frank said Kane would be ‘more than welcome’ to return when reports emerged of a release clause in his contract that could allow him to move on in the summer. But Kane tells us that it's not a consideration right now.

‘I’m not sure (if I’ll go back),’ says Kane. 'I’m very happy here in Munich. It’s not something I'm thinking about. It’ll always be "we" (with Spurs) because I spent my whole life there. I’m a fan of them and will always watch them and see how they’re getting on. They will always be a part of my life for sure but as for now, I’m loving it here.

'It was great to see (them win a trophy this year). I’ve got a lot of friends there with the players and staff.

'We know how long we waited and how close we’d come in the past so it was big for everyone - the fans, the club and all involved to have that feeling and get that one over the line. That’s always important and hopefully they can push on and win more.'

This season is the third of a four-year deal that Kane signed at Bayern and last week, he said he would be open to an ‘honest conversation’ about an extension beyond 2027. Perhaps Shearer's record is safe.

Could Kane return to Tottenham one day and have a crack at Alan Shearer's Premier League goals record?

Kane aged 17 in a 2010 friendly against Northampton Town. It would be four years before he nailed down a starting spot in Spurs' first team

But Kane is clear when it comes to England. For the 32-year-old, nothing would be sweeter than lifting the World Cup trophy at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, in what will be his sixth major tournament for England.

‘That’s always the aim,' says Kane, who already holds the record for the most England appearances at major tournaments (29). ‘We’ve had a great start to the qualifying campaign. People just expect us to qualify but you still have to go out there and do it.

'The performance against Serbia (a 5-0 win in Belgrade last month) was at a really high level and that’s the standard we have to set for all the games going forward. Of course there’ll be tougher games on hopefully that run to winning the World Cup.

'We’re at the start of a mountain - there’s a long way to climb and there’ll be a lot of ups and downs along the way. What we’re building with the new coach (Thomas Tuchel) is that togetherness because once you get to that tournament, you’re going to be with each other for six, seven weeks so you have to be able to get along with each other.’

Kane played in the brutal heat at the Club World Cup last summer and is sure that his experience can only help - even if FIFA do change the kick-off times so some matches are played in cooler weather.

‘The heat was tough but it’s great to have that experience in the locker and know what it’s like,' he says. 'Those midday and 3pm kick-offs were brutal but that’s part and parcel of a World Cup. You’re not just playing in your comfort zone and you have to find a way to adapt and win.

'We’ll do everything we can to prepare but ultimately it will come down to that grind and determination once we’re there.'

Kane believes his experiences in the sweltering American heat at this summer's Club World Cup - where Bayern reached the quarter-finals - will aid England at the World Cup

Kane has eight goals at World Cup finals, behind only Gary Lineker's 10 for England

For Kane, nothing would be sweeter than lifting the World Cup trophy at MetLife Stadium on July 19

Under Tuchel, the belief is that England can take the last step that has evaded them in recent times, after two final defeats and an exit at the semi-final and quarter-final stage under Gareth Southgate.

‘(Tuchel) has a great record in major tournaments. That’s what it comes down to,’ says Kane, the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner. ‘There’s a lot of great teams - us being one of them - but ultimately it’s about who can pull it together at the right time.

'Tournaments are about moments. We got to two finals through big moments and stepping up and obviously we fell short in the final moment but that gives us confidence that we can be there and just take that extra step.’

And if the England captain is in this kind of form come the summer, they will have every chance of going all the way.

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