Brady the dog & Harry Kane in NFL! Bayern Munich striker has American dream after already taking inspiration from gridiron greats

The England captain is a big gridiron fan, with the New England Patriots his team of choice. He has been quizzed on a regular basis down the years about trading life in soccer for another form of football once the day comes to stop scoring goals and potentially swap to placekicking instead.

That day is a long way off for the prolific 30-year-old frontman, who is now breaking records in Germany, but he has told Standard Sport of being inspired by NFL icons when it comes to his canine companions: “One of them was named after Tom Brady. My wife actually named the other one Wilson. People just assumed it was for Russell Wilson [the Denver Broncos quarterback]. But it was just a coincidence.”

Pressed again on whether he would seriously consider pursuing a career in the NFL, Kane said: “I don't think it's having a laugh. I think it’s more just exploring that option. I just think I’ve been able to kick in those situations – a lot of pressure situations. I know it'd be a lot of hard work and it'd be a lot of dedication. It won't be as easy just rocking up and doing it. Let's see. I've always said it depends on certain situations and circumstances. I’ve still got plenty of years left in my football career.”

Kane signed a four-year contract when linking up with Bundesliga giants Bayern. Tottenham have a buy-back option on him - should he wish to return to England at some stage and chase down Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal record - while the humble frontman has suggested that he wants to emulate the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by playing on towards, and potentially into his 40s.