As a youth team player at Tottenham, Kane looked up to Defoe – and even asked for his No.18 shirt when his goalscoring hero quit White Hart Lane to move to MLS side Toronto in 2014.
Defoe admitted he always thought England striker Kane was destined for stardom – even as a teenager.
“I remember watching Harry when he was 15, 16 and saying to the coaches at Tottenham how good he was,” said Defoe.
“I knew then he was a natural finisher.
“Then he started playing for the Under-21s and scoring goals. I have been saying it for a long time and always felt he should have been involved sooner.
“When he did get his chance, Harry did it in his first season and everyone said, ‘He’s not going to do it again’ – and he did it again.
“Without putting too much pressure on Harry – because I like him as a boy and he’s a nice kid – he is a goal-scoring machine. When he gets a chance you just know he’s going to score.”
Kane has scored 43 goals in 2017, including six hat-tricks, putting him second behind Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi for the year.
That staggering run includes 15 in his last 10 games for club and country, with Kane this week named as the only Englishman on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or.
Inevitably, Kane has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
But Defoe, who scored 143 goals in 363 games for Spurs, believes there is a chance Kane could spend his entire career at the same club.
“He loves the club,” said the Bournemouth striker ahead of his reunion with his old team at Wembley today.
“I was at Tottenham for many years but if you look at the game now it’s just completely different.
“You don’t really get many players that stay at a club for 10, 12, even 13 years like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
“Players move on and sometimes I can imagine it’s frustrating for fans.
“When you get players who have had unbelievable seasons at a football club, then all of a sudden you think as fans, ‘He might not even be here next year’.
“If you are doing well, you are going to be linked to all the clubs.
“At the end of the day it’s up to the player. If you love the club you’re at then it doesn’t matter who you’ve been linked with, does it?
“You just continue playing at your club and being happy. Let’s be honest, he is playing in a top team and he loves the club.”
Even though Kane is grabbing all the headlines again this season, Defoe believes he is not the only reason Spurs can finally end their long wait for a league title.
Spurs haven’t finished on top since 1961, but Defoe said: “We speak about Harry Kane and Dele Alli but you look at the back four and players like Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen, and on top of that they have a top manager.
“They have so many good players. I felt like they were close last season and they are moving into a new stadium. They are a real top team.”
While Kane still has the best years ahead of him, Defoe is in the twilight of his career after celebrating his 35th birthday last week.
But the former Portsmouth, West Ham and Sunderland star says he has plenty left in the tank and is desperate to play in next summer’s World Cup in Russia.
Asked whether he could play on into his 40s, Defoe said: “I will try. I will give it a good go.
“I can always look at myself in the mirror if I have an unbelievable season, or it’s not as good, and say I tried my best and always be happy.
“I love my football and even though I am 35, I am not one of those people who go through the motions in training or cannot really be bothered or force it a little bit.
“I always enjoy it and give everything. That is probably the most important thing.”
