Harry Kane has revealed that his missed penalty against France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final was the lowest moment of his career, worse than losing any club final. The England captain, who now plays for Bayern Munich, missed from the spot in the 84th minute as England lost 2-1 in Qatar. He described the failure as the hardest part to process, feeling the responsibility fell on his shoulders.
In response, Kane changed his penalty technique, introducing a stutter run where he waits for the goalkeeper to move before striking. The results were spectacular: he scored 31 consecutive penalties for club and country after the miss, before a rare failure for Bayern in the German Cup against Wehen Wiesbaden this season. Since then, he has netted six in a row, including one in England’s 5-0 win against Latvia on Tuesday that secured World Cup qualification.
Kane, now 32, said the experience motivated him to improve as an all-round player. “Those moments only shape you as a person, as a player, and it’s definitely helped me to become a better player,” he said. He added that he is looking forward to the next World Cup to try to put things right and lift the trophy. Kane scored twice against Latvia, taking his England tally to 76 goals, and believes reaching 100 is feasible given his current form.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel, who signed Kane at Bayern in 2023, praised his professionalism and penalty preparation. “For me, he never misses a penalty,” Tuchel said. He noted that Kane puts immense effort into training penalties, more than he has ever seen before. Kane feels he is in the form of his life, with 18 goals for Bayern this season and three for England.
