Harry Kane credits habits he picked up as a boy as being instrumental in turning him into one of the world’s best strikers, but believes that, ultimately, 'hard work overrides instinct'.
Kane, who for the early part of his first-team career at Tottenham withstood barbs about being a one-season wonder, has won the Premier League’s Golden Boot twice, as well as finishing as top scorer at the 2018 World Cup.
He has scored 156 goals in 255 games for Spurs since breaking into Mauricio Pochettino’s team in 2014, initially as a squad player used only in the Europa League.
Those numbers of have turned him into one of world football’s most valuable strikers. But despite his glowing international reputation, the England captain says it’s the work he put in as boy that is paying dividends today.
"It's putting in the hard work, first and foremost, and a lot of practice on the training ground," Kane told Sky Sports. "You also need that instinct from a young age - maybe you're born with it.
"I think hard work will always override instinct. You see it throughout the years, players who may not technically be as good as others, but at a younger age they work harder, train harder and they get to a higher level because of that.
"But I think there is an element, especially with top goalscorers, of knowing where the ball is going to fall or being in the right place at the right time.”
The 26-year-old looked for a time like his chance of making it in the Spurs first team would pass him by, as he was loaned out repeatedly to clubs in the Football League whilst making little impact.
He was given a chance by Pochettino for the team’s Europa League group stage campaign in 2014, and impressed sufficiently to force his way into the manager’s plans permanently.
“It's just through habit from doing it when you were a kid scoring goals - you take that with you, maybe without you even knowing, “ said Kane. “If you add the hard work with that, you become a really good player.
"Some movements you do on purpose, for example, when you make a cross. Sometimes you do want to move in front to get in behind, even with through balls to come short or go deep, but that's stuff you can train on.”