Retour
Harry Kane is in the form of his life and a certain type of treatment might just be the secret to the Ballon d'Or winner's success.
Kane beat both Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d'Or for the first time after an incredible year for Bayern Munich and England.
The 33-year-old has been one of the very best strikers in the world football for a number of years now but he has soared to new levels in recent times, where he is unquestionably the best in the world.
The former Spurs star has scored 58 goals for club and country in 2026 and is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
Kane has always been a consummate professional and looks after his body, but a new report from The Guardian has shed light on some of the practices he is doing regularly in order to be fit and firing.
He has banned himself from eating sweets and is said to be obsessed with ice baths and infrared saunas as his post-match recovery routine, as well as his sleep.
But in the most interesting revelation, Kane has employed a private doctor who focuses on electrical neurofunctional acupuncture.
Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco lives in Canada but comes over to Munich every month to spend at least a week with him.
While he is with him, he treats him for four to five hours at a time through electroacupuncture - a treatment that follows traditional acupuncture but uses needles connected to a small electrical stimulation device.
The needles are inserted into acupuncture points, and the stimulation device sends a controlled electrical current to the small electrical clips attached.
The treatment, which can activate sensory nerves and bring about muscle contractions, also helps reduce muscle tension and improve chronic pain and discomfort in areas.
Traditional acupuncture has been common for footballers to use, but Kane is the only known player using the adapted version.
Former world number one golfer Justin Rose recommended Claraco's services.
Dr. Margie Navarro, a New York-based licensed doctor of acupuncture and researcher with over 15 years of clinical experience including professional athletes, explained the benefits of the treatment.
She told SPORTbible: "The endorphin stimulation and inflammation reduction actions of this treatment may be particularly beneficial for athletes in the midst of an intensive training or performance schedule.
endorphin release will help with acute muscle pain and inflammation. Different acupuncture techniques or other forms of physical therapy may be indicated for true ‘injuries’ depending on the specifics of the injury.
"The bulk of the research on electroacupuncture is for stroke recovery, where it has been found to be highly beneficial. However, there are also meta-analyses showing strong evidence across multiple studies for its efficacy in conditions that commonly affect athletes, including gouty arthritis and non-specific low back pain.
"Acupuncture generally can improve athletic performance by reducing muscular tension (or trigger points) that are causing muscles to fatigue or malfunction. It also can increase ROM by reducing tension throughout muscle and connective tissue. Electroacupuncture may be added as an additional technique in cases where acute pain and inflammation moderation may aid in the training or performance schedule."
According to Sage Journals, the use of electricity in relieving pain dates back to ancient times and was then pioneered by French practitioners before it was furthered in China.
Kane is already England's record goalscorer, and he will soon become the most-capped player. Kane is currently tied with Peter Shilton on 125 and is expected to break the record against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday.
He will receive an official presentation before the Nations League fixture.