Bayern Munich star Harry Kane admits shifting to Neymar & Mario Balotelli penalty style after horror miss for England at 2022 World Cup

During an interview with TNT Sports Brasil, 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.

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.

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."

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."

Since adopting this revised strategy, Kane has seen consistent success. The striker has scored all nine of his penalties for Bayern in the Bundesliga this season, maintaining a perfect conversion rate. His overall form has been nothing short of sensational, registering 34 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.

"I'm always trying to find little ways to get better," he said. "That [penalty taking] is one of them. For sure it's helped my penalties since. I'm obviously on a good run. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing."

Kane and Bayern Munich will face a significant test on Wednesday evening as they travel to face Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. The German champions will need to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg if they are to secure a place in the semi-finals.