Tuchel was asked about the mentality of his captain before a Nations League tie against Czech Republic on Tuesday at Wembley, and his answer was less about the player in front of him than about the species he belongs to.
“I think all these number nines in the world, no matter in which league or in youth football, they are built a little bit differently. They not only do it so that their team wins, but they also do it for themselves, they do it for the records.”
The England manager then walked through the inner monologue he believes runs on a loop inside an elite striker’s head.
“How many can I score, how many can I assist, who is the best scorer in the league, who do I have to overtake, where is the next record?”
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“You will not find any goalscorer of this calibre who has not these individual goals set up and pushing him to the limit. So that is what drives him,” Tuchel told reporters.
Shilton’s cap record within reach
Kane will equal Shilton’s 125-cap England record if he plays any part on Tuesday evening. His 89 international goals are already a national record, extended by a brace in Saturday’s 7-0 win over Croatia that also carried his away-goal streak for the Three Lions into a sixth straight match.
Tuchel was not short of superlatives for the forward he inherited as captain.
“Since he takes this major role for Bayern Munich, he found a new level, and it’s on and off the pitch highest level.”
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England have travelled home from Rijeka with a squad hit by the withdrawals of Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice, but their captain is set to lead them out at Wembley with the appearance record there for the taking.
Fastest to 100 in the Bundesliga
The year that has put Kane into the Ballon d’Or conversation has been built on exactly the kind of individual benchmarks his manager described. On 19 September he became the fastest player in Bundesliga history to reach 100 league goals, getting there in 98 appearances and lowering Dieter Müller’s 1977 mark of 129 by 31 games.
“Very proud, to be honest, to reach 100 goals in the Bundesliga. Obviously, I’d done it in the Premier League, so now to have it in a different league is something I’m really proud of,” Kane said after the 7-0 win over Union Berlin that brought up the milestone.
Ballon d’Or on 26 October in London
The next date in Kane’s calendar after the Czech Republic tie is Monday 26 October, when the men’s Ballon d’Or will be awarded. For the first time, the ceremony leaves Paris: the 2026 edition is at the London Palladium, honouring the inaugural 1956 winner Stanley Matthews. Kane sits on the 30-man shortlist alongside Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal after scoring 73 goals for club and country last season.
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