Harry Kane claims there is a 'misconception' about one part of his game - and two stats back him up
Harry Kane claims there is a "misconception" about the amount of times he drops deep in matches ahead of his potential 2026 Ballon d'Or win.
Kane is set to be named as one of 30 nominees for the 2026 men's award, with France Football announcing the nominees across Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The 31-year-old scored 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich last season but believes there is still a 'misconception' about what he does off the ball.
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'Sometimes the higher you stay, the easier it is for defenders...' - Kane on dropping deep
In an interview with TNT Sports' Owen Hargreaves, Kane said: "There's a misconception sometimes of, 'You're dropping deep, or you're too far away from the goal'.
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"And yeah, that has an element of truth if you're not willing to then arrive in the box. But when you play as a No. 9, sometimes it's so easy for you to get man-marked out of the game or you're waiting for everyone to find you.
"You're playing against two centre-backs most of the time. Sometimes you're not going to touch the ball and you're just being marked. And sometimes the higher you stay, the easier it is [for defenders]. You think you're staying out of the way of the team, giving space for the No. 10's to play, but actually, you're being marked out the game."
The statistic that backs up Kane's unique ability
While people could argue that the quality of Kane's attacking team-mates, such as Luis Diaz, Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise, means he can afford to drop deep more often and dictate play, two statistics in particular back up why he does it.
The first is, of course, the goals. Kane netted 61 goals for Bayern last season; he scored 41 in his second season with the club, and 44 in his first.
When comparing Kane's heat maps from 2024/25 and the beginning of 2025/26, it is clear that he made a major shift in his game last term.
He spent more time in central areas around the penalty area in 2024/25, but made a change over the summer to drop deeper more consistently in order to impact games.
Kane told FourFourTwo in August that he was influenced by Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany, who arrived at the club in the summer of 2024, to drop deeper.
He explained: "He gives the player freedom to come and receive the ball sometimes deeper, and arrive in the box later.
"With the team I have around me, with the players I have, and the system that we play from the coach, it's just elevated me to another level. I feel extremely comfortable on the pitch. I know where I should be, I know where the players are going to be."
Topics:Â Harry Kane, Bayern Munich, Ballon d'Or
Ryan Smart