Harry Kane 'amazed' to eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo's goal record as Bayern Munich star eyes Ballon d'Or and Lionel Messi's longevity

Kane is currently the bookmakers’ favorite to claim the prestigious Ballon d’Or in October, a feat that would see him become the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The 33-year-old’s candidacy is built on a staggering return of 73 goals for club and country last season, a figure that eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo’s career-best single-season record of 69 set during the 2011-12 campaign. Only Lionel Messi’s historic 82-goal haul from that same legendary season remains ahead of the England captain in the all-time single-season scoring charts.

Reflecting on his historic achievements in a wide-ranging interview with TNT Sports, Kane expressed immense pride in his output, even as he waits for the voting results. "I’m extremely proud of the season I put up, for sure," Kane said. "Not that long ago, I was that fan wanting to become a professional footballer and I am here now and winning awards and the Ballon d’Or is the same. Of course, now it is out of my hands, it is down to the voters and the people who decide it."

Kane admitted that growing up in the era of Messi and Ronaldo dominance made his own recent statistics feel almost surreal. The Bayern marksman noted that he used to view the numbers produced by the legendary duo as unreachable benchmarks.

"I grew up watching Messi and Ronaldo, the era of them just dominating and dominating," Kane explained. "Obviously Messi is the only one to have scored more with 82, but even some of their other seasons, and Ronaldo’s highest I think was 69. These are numbers that I just thought were silly, which they are. They are the two greatest of our generation and arguably of all time. So 73 goals, even for me, I am pretty amazed by that."

At 33, Kane is entering a stage of his career where many begin to consider their decline, but he is instead looking at the likes of Luka Modric, Messi, and Ronaldo as blueprints for a long career. The England skipper believes he has plenty of years left at the elite level and is motivated by the prospect of winning the biggest trophies with Bayern Munich and his country.

"As we know it, it won't - but when I see players like Messi and Ronaldo and Luka Modric and these players playing until late 30s or Ronaldo's in his 40s now, Luka is in his 40s, it gives me the motivation to be able to do that," Kane noted.

"Again, a lot of it comes with the mentality as well - what you've achieved, what you're pushing for. Are there other trophies you want to try and win? Are there other targets you want to try and reach?"

While last season was a personal triumph, Kane is already focused on how he can push himself even further. Bayern have started their Bundesliga campaign with a 5-1 win over Stuttgart and a 0-0 draw against Schalke, and although the striker is yet to open his account for the new term, he is hungry for more success.

Kane explained his mindset regarding his future targets and his desire for constant improvement, noting: “It is a weird one because I am already focused on this season now and the next season. Can I be better? Can I improve? But I also want to appreciate what I did.”