Bayern Munich's Harry Kane has admitted taking inspiration from Neymar & Mario Balotelli's penalty style after his horror miss at the 2022 World Cup.

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• Kane revealed his penalty secret
• Has followed Neymar & Balotelli's technique
• England captain still trying to "get better"

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  During an interview with the 31-year-old spoke candidly about how his missed penalty against France in England's quarter-final defeat in Qatar marked a turning point in his mindset. Rather than relying purely on power and accuracy, Kane has now adopted a more reactive style, watching the goalkeeper closely before making his move.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane highlighted the influence of several prominent forwards who have developed unique approaches to penalty-taking. He specifically named Neymar and Balotelli as examples of players who often wait to see the goalkeeper’s intentions before striking the ball.

• WHAT KANE SAID

  Kane said: "There's quite a few players over the years who have taken penalties like that. I think [some players] pop into my head, [Mario] Balotelli was like this, Neymar was like this. There have been players that wait for the keeper before they hit it. That was never something I used to do, I used to go for more power and precision."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  England’s last World Cup campaign came to a heartbreaking end in the quarter-finals against France, and Kane’s late miss from the penalty spot proved to be a key moment. Having already successfully converted a penalty earlier in the match, he skied his second attempt over the bar during the closing stages as France held on for a 2-1 win.

  Reflecting on that moment, Kane admitted: "When I missed that penalty in the World Cup, I felt like there was something that I can change, especially if you take two penalties in a game. It's something I wanted to try to improve on. Thankfully, it's been good since."

Tags: Futebol
Category: News