England captain Harry Kane said he joined Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich to improve as a player, adding that he is relishing the pressure that comes along with playing for the serial winners.
Kane signed for Bayern on Saturday for a reported $109.17 million. He had been at Spurs since the age of 11, but in his 10 Premier League seasons with the club, he failed to win any trophies, which will not be an option at the German club.
"I came here to improve, to feel a new pressure of having to win titles every year, having to go far in the Champions League and pushing myself to that limit," Kane told Sky Sports in an interview on Wednesday.
"I think when you're at a club like Bayern Munich, you have to win there are no questions about it. If you don't perform well, there are going to be question marks over you. I've been able to handle that throughout my career, whether it was with Tottenham or with England."
️ “A lot of people talk about the trophies and why I came here but ultimately it was to improve, to feel a new pressure of having to win titles every year, having to go far in the Champions League.”
Harry Kane on why he wanted to join Bayern Munich. pic.twitter.com/DY7GjaOGek— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 16, 2023
️ “If I’m scoring goals and we’re winning trophies then of course that will come into question.”
Harry Kane on having the chance to compete for the Ballon d'Or. pic.twitter.com/4tL760QGXt— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 16, 2023
️ “I’m not sure I’m going to learn it fluently anytime soon.”
Harry Kane says he is already planning to begin learning the German language. pic.twitter.com/u6fJV0DKnP— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 16, 2023
The 30-year-old made his debut on Saturday just hours after his arrival. After coming on as a substitute in the club's 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup, he is now looking forward to the start of the league season.
"I had a really good pre-season, a lot of training, a lot of games, and now this week settled in really well. I'm excited to get the season started," Kane said.
"Any first game of a league season is one of the most exciting of the year, because you're so ready to go and eager to show what you can do."
Bayern begin their Bundesliga campaign with an away game to Werder Bremen on Friday. They are looking to win their 12th consecutive league title.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)