Kane uses World Cup visualisation and praises Tuchel's methods ahead of summer tournament

Harry Kane has disclosed that visualisation is a core part of his mental preparation, and that imagining himself lifting the World Cup trophy is his most powerful motivating image ahead of this summer’s tournament.

Speaking to L’Equipe, the England captain and Bayern Munich striker explained how he applies the technique: “I try to picture the stadium I’ll be playing in, the type of opponent I’ll be facing, my position on the pitch, and the kinds of chances I might create for myself. That said, I’d be lying if I said I’ve never imagined myself lifting the World Cup.”

Kane was candid about the scale of England’s ambition while acknowledging the difficulty of the task. “The ambition is to win it, obviously. That has to be our goal. We know it won’t be easy, but in recent years we’ve come very close to winning a major tournament: we reached two Euro finals, a World Cup semi-final in 2018, and a quarter-final in 2022.”

The 31-year-old also outlined the mental discipline he believes will be essential during the tournament, stressing the importance of shielding the squad from external pressure. “The key is to create a sort of ‘bubble’ during the tournament to distance ourselves from what I call the ‘outside noise’. There will always be pundits, newspapers, podcasts — if you listen to and read all of that, you’ll drive yourself crazy. You have to be clear about the team’s objectives and the means to achieve them, train well, and foster a protective environment within the training camp — one that won’t shatter at the first setback.”

Kane was equally effusive about his relationship with head coach Thomas Tuchel, who managed him at Bayern Munich before taking charge of England. “At Bayern, I absolutely loved his personality, his ideas for the team, and the way he utilised me on the pitch,” Kane said. “In a way, he has successfully translated those methods to the national team.”

England arrive at the World Cup having reached the final of Euro 2024 and with a settled partnership between their captain and coach. Kane, who has been in prolific form for Bayern, appears determined to convert that club momentum into international success after decades of near-misses for his country.