'Very proud' - Bayern Munich star Harry Kane reflects on historic 2023 with England amid Gareth Southgate criticism

The Three Lions might have been underwhelming in their recent performances, as they were recently held to a 1-1 draw by North Macedonia, but Kane feels they have done enough as a team in 2023 to hold their heads high. The forward once again came to the rescue as his goal helped England get a point from the match after falling behind in the first half in Skope after Rico Lewis was harshly penalised for a foul inside the box. Nonetheless, the draw did not hamper their position on the qualification table as they continued to hold pole position and finished six points ahead of Italy.

It was indeed a historic year for England. They beat Italy for the first time since 1977 on home soil to seal their berth for the Euro 2024 finals in Germany. They also got the better of the Azzurri away from home, which was their first-ever competitive win on Italian soil and Kane was on target in both the matches. With that strike from the spot in Naples, he also became England's record international goal scorer as he overtook Wayne Rooney's record of 53 goals.

Despite Kane's form, Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has come under fire in recent days due to his side's underwhelming performances against Malta and North Macedonia.

Kane wrote on Instagram: "Very proud of what we’ve achieved as a team in 2023 - from a historic win in Italy to qualifying as group winners. On a personal level becoming England’s top goalscorer means it’s been an international year I’ll always remember. Can’t wait for 2024 in an England shirt and the Euros 🙌🦁🦁🦁."

England will be placed in Pot 1 during the draw for Euro 2024 on December 2 alongside Germany, Portugal, France, Spain and Belgium. Meanwhile, Kane has already flown back to Munich as Bayern gear up to take on Koln in a Bundesliga fixture on Friday.