Revealed: Harry Kane goal list had team-mates ‘laughing at him’ as fellow Tottenham academy graduate names the ‘only person’ who believed in record-breaking striker

Kane spent time in the youth system at Arsenal from the age of six, while also taking in a trial at Watford, before ending up at Tottenham in 2004. His ability to hit the back of the net was spotted early, but questions were asked of whether that skill set could ever be transferred onto the senior stage.

Loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester hardly set the world alight, but Tim Sherwood saw enough in the promising frontman to give him his big break at Spurs - with regular game time being taken in from April 2014.

There was to be no looking back from there, with the 2014-15 campaign delivering 31 goals across all competitions and the PFA Young Player of the Year award. By 2023, when the day came to leave north London, Kane had become Spurs’ all-time leading scorer with 280 efforts to his name.

He is also the greatest marksman that the England national team has ever seen, finding the target on 78 occasions for the Three Lions, while netting 137 goals for Bayern Munich through 140 appearances for the German giants - winning two Bundesliga titles.

Quizzed on whether those that worked alongside him in Spurs’ academy could have foreseen what Kane was to become, M’Poku - who now forms part of Angry Ginge’s Yanited side in Baller League UK - told GOAL: “If I say yes, I would lie, but one of the things that we always saw from Harry Kane was that he was banging in goals. He always banged goals. He was always a goal scorer and then after he became a complete player.

“This is fair play to him because he works his socks off to be who he is now. But the only person who saw something in Harry Kane that we all know is [Tottenham’s former head of academy coaching and player development] John McDermott.”

McDermott, who spent 15 years working with stars of the future at Spurs, helped to put Kane on the path to greatness. The man himself was, however, always convinced that he would become something special.

Not many of those around him shared that opinion, with M’Poku adding when asked to explain why Kane made it - rewriting the history books along the way - while others fell by the wayside: “Because Harry was so hungry, so determined. He knew what he wanted and he knew what he had to do to make it to the highest level.

“I remember one of the times we used to be at Spurs and everybody asked us to make an exercise, like write where you want to be, what you want to do.

“Harry Kane was writing, I want to be the top scorer of England, the top scorer of this and that. I remember some of the team-mates were laughing at him. It's like, ‘What are you talking about?’ But he had goals and he made everything to reach that goal.”

Kane, who has remained a humble hero across his domestic and international career, has never lacked self belief. A bit of luck has been required - as he found himself in the right place, at the right time, under the right coaches - but opportunities to impress have been maximised.

There is no sign of Kane slowing down, as he prepares to turn 33 after skippering England at the 2026 World Cup, with there still plenty left for him to achieve. M’Poku, who is 15 months older than his former colleague, has brought his much-travelled professional career to a close but is keeping his eye in by gracing six-a-side competition at the Copper Box Arena.

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