Harry Kane has long been much more than a traditional center forward at FC Bayern. The Englishman not only scores goals, but also regularly drops deep into midfield, distributes the ball, and sets up his teammates with precise passes. A style of play that at times resembles that of a quarterback—and one whose development José Mourinho played a key role in fostering at Tottenham.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, Kane spoke at length about his former coach. Mourinho managed Tottenham between 2019 and 2021 and gave his star striker at the time an extraordinary amount of freedom.
Kane was allowed to break away from the center of the attack, drop deep, and play a greater role in building up play. It is precisely this role that is now one of the Bayern star’s greatest strengths.
“I have a lot of respect for José. We had a really good relationship at Tottenham. It didn’t end the way we’d hoped. It was hard for me, too. But yes, I had a very good relationship with him. During his time at Tottenham, I played some of my best games there. That same year, I won the Golden Boot and also the award for most assists. He gave me a lot of freedom to be myself, to play my game, and to drop deep to receive the ball.”
According to Kane, Mourinho is an absolute top-tier coach, even beyond his soccer expertise: “I think, as a person, he’s someone who understands every detail of the game—whether with the ball, without the ball, tactically, in dealing with the referee… whatever it is, he understands every situation. I have great respect for him.”
Mourinho recognized Kane’s playmaking qualities
Kane’s reflection on the tactical freedom he was given is particularly interesting. Mourinho didn’t limit him to the role of a striker in the box. Instead, Kane was allowed to decide for himself when to drop back and get involved in building up play.
The result was an extraordinary combination of goal-scorer and playmaker. Kane himself points out that in one season he won both the Golden Boot as top scorer and the award for most assists.
This helped his playing style evolve further. When Kane drops back from the center of the attack today, he forces center backs to make a decision: if they follow him, space opens up behind the defense; if they stay back, the Englishman can receive the ball between the lines and become a playmaker himself.
Kane now regularly displays precisely these qualities at FC Bayern.
At Bayern, too, Kane is the “quarterback”
Under Vincent Kompany, Kane remains the main striker, but his role extends far beyond that. The Englishman frequently drops back into midfield and, from there, looks to find his teammates’ runs with long passes or direct through balls.
This particularly benefits fast attacking players like Michael Olise and Luis Díaz. Kane can initiate attacks and reappear in the penalty area himself just seconds later.
Mourinho didn’t invent these skills—Kane already possessed exceptional technical and playing abilities. However, the Portuguese coach deliberately gave him the freedom at Tottenham to utilize them more effectively.
Kane therefore looks back on their time together with great appreciation. In sporting terms, Mourinho’s tenure at Tottenham did not end as hoped. But this phase was formative for the development of the Kane we see today.
Bayern Munich continues to benefit from this to this day: Munich signed not only a world-class goal-scorer, but also a forward who can orchestrate attacks like a playmaker or a quarterback.