Harry Kane praises Mourinho for career-changing guidance after Ballon d’Or win: ‘Developed my game in a different way’

Harry Kane praises Mourinho for career-changing guidance after Ballon d’Or win: ‘Developed my game in a different way’ Real Madrid ace Kylian Mbappe fell narrowly short of the Ballon d’Or earlier this week, as he finished second to Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane by the smallest of margins. The Frenchman was Real Madrid’s big hope for the evening in London, especially after he spoke openly about how he deserves the award this year for the season he enjoyed. His failure to win a trophy for either club or country, however, came back to bite him and Mbappe will thus look to push with everything he has got to ensure he wins some silverware this season under Jose Mourinho. After all, if Kane’s win proved one thing, it is that trophies go a long way in deciding the big football accolades, especially in years when the race is unclear without a standout frontrunner like the recent edition. Ballon d’Or winner credits Mourinho During an interview with L’Equipe (h/t AS ), the new Ballon d’Or winner was asked to detail his experience working with Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho when they crossed paths between 2019 and 2021 at Tottenham Hotspur. Kane credited Mourinho for his success. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Remembering his conversation with the manager, Kane said, “Conversation with Mourinho? Yeah, I remember it well.” “It got spoken about a lot because I said I wanted to be on Ronaldo and Messi’s level and he said that he could help with that, and he did,” he added, handing credit to Mourinho. The England captain then spoke on the manager’s contribution to developing his profile and how he elevated his game under the coach’s tutelage. “Jose was great. He developed my game in a different way; he gave me a lot of freedom; he allowed me to exploit all my qualities.” Kane and Mourinho worked together at Tottenham. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) He also spoke about the respect he holds for Mourinho, especially after everything the manager has contributed to his professional journey. “He definitely made his stamp on me. I respected him so much. His personality, his demeanor.” “I respected the way he went about his business and the way he showed that. I learned a lot from him,” he added. Finally, he spoke on the message of congratulations that Mourinho sent him. “He actually sent me a congratulations message and just said ‘Well done.'”