Harry Kane says that Tottenham will go to Real Madrid next month to win after he felt the confidence overflow from his hat-trick in the 3-0 Champions League victory at Apoel Nicosia on Tuesday night.

The striker admits he has never felt better than during the rich vein of form he has found this month. Kane did not panic after not finding the net in August once more and so far in September he has scored twice in two matches for England and nine in five for Tottenham.

Mauricio Pochettino praises ‘killer’ Harry Kane after Spurs hat-trick Read more

Kane’s sights are fixed on getting more at Huddersfield Town this Saturday – on the final day of the month – but he also allowed his thoughts to take in Spurs’ next Champions League fixture. It comes at the Bernabéu on 17 October – Tottenham then host the European champions at Wembley on 1 November – and, as much as anything else, Kane scents opportunity.

Spurs are joint-top of Group H with Real, having followed up the 3-1 win against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley with victory in Nicosia. Kane has never been to the Bernabéu but he intends to make his mark.

“We feel we can beat anyone on our day,” Kane said. “Of course we know it will be tough but it’s two good teams and an open game, probably. It will come down to who is more clinical – hopefully that can be us. We are going there to win, not just to get a result. We will see what happens.”

Play Video 0:55 Harry Kane proud after netting Champions League hat-trick – video

The 24-year-old has sparked an outbreak of Kane-mania. People are talking about him, his name dominates headlines. Already the game at the Bernabéu is being built up as Kane versus Cristiano Ronaldo – one of the two kings of world football and from whom Kane takes some of his inspiration. Kane is determined to rise to the top of his sport like Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.As an aside, it seems as though Tottenham’s reunion with Gareth Bale, who left them for Real in 2013, has been overlooked. “I’ve never met Ronaldo but I’m a fan of course,” Kane said. “I’m a fan of great footballers and he is one of the best – especially of my generation.

“We probably won’t be up against each other much in the game but it’s always great to play the best in the world. They have one of the best defences with [Sergio] Ramos, Marcelo, players like that. I want to test myself against the best and they have been the best in the last few years, without a doubt. It’s going to be exciting. I want to put in a performance like I have been recently.”

Tottenham were “not fantastic” against Apoel, to quote the manager, Mauricio Pochettino, but Kane was. Every time he went through it seemed inevitable that he would finish. To watch him was to enjoy a player at the peak of his powers. “I’d say it’s the most confident I’ve felt,” Kane said.

“I’ve scored quite a few goals this September and there’s another game left at Huddersfield on Saturday. Hopefully I can take the form into that game and keep going.

“It’s part of being more mature. The more I play, the more I get a sense of what defenders will do at certain times. For example, I went back across through the [defender’s] legs for the second goal against Apoel, little things like that. As you get older and wiser, things come naturally.”

For the sixth time already in 2017 Kane departed with the match ball and he is now planning on getting some work done back at his home. “I’m hoping to build a room for the match balls and trophies,” he said. “It isn’t built yet but hopefully it will be soon. At the moment the balls are just in bags, in the cupboards, waiting to be put up.”

Kane’s showdown with Ronaldo is box office but direct comparisons between the two are fatuous. They are clearly different types of forward. But the Spurs captain, Hugo Lloris, does see a parallel in terms of their attitude and professionalism.

“We are not surprised about Harry,” Lloris said. “He is our main player. Like in the top teams – Real Madrid have Ronaldo; in Barça you have Messi. Is Harry Tottenham’s Ronaldo? No. He is Harry Kane. Ronaldo and Messi – they are from another galaxy but Harry has got so much potential to become one of the best.

“Harry is connected with the world, he is very calm, he is a hard worker and he is very ambitious. That is something very important in football If you lose your personal ambition, it can become difficult. Give Harry time. The most important thing is the demands he puts on himself. Then, for sure, he will lead the national team and he will lead Tottenham. Step-by-step, we try to move forward. Harry is maybe the first stone in our team and he is one of the leaders.”

Lloris also believes that Tottenham have learned from their failed Champions League campaign of last season; perhaps, he suggested, it was a necessary rite of passage. The collective mentality has improved and they will go to the Bernabeu with a sense of liberation. “We will play in Real Madrid with a free mind,” he said. “We have nothing to lose and all to win.”