Harry Kane has admitted that he would see it as a “failure” if he were to come to the end of his footballing career without winning a major trophy with England.
The Tottenham striker is part of another strong Three Lions side heading into the upcoming Euros, with manager Gareth Southgate having had to make some difficult decisions as he finalised his squad for the tournament.
England have struggled to deliver on their promise in the recent past, however, finishing fourth in the 2018 World Cup and third in the 2018-19 Nations League. Kane, though, intends to “put that right”.
What has been said?
“I hope my mum doesn’t mind me revealing her age, but she was born in 1966. My dad was born in 1964, so he was two when England won the World Cup,” Kane told the Evening Standard when discussing the country's ongoing wait to secure more silverware.
“That is how long ago we are talking about, and it’s down to us to put that right. I think if I finish my career as a footballer without winning a major trophy for England, I would see that as a failure.
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“I know we are still progressing, still got room to improve, but that is the goal and I think we can do that.”
On his team-mates, he added: “There is a lot of expectation but there is a lot of belief. I know these players and I feel we are ready for anything.
“There are some great teams — France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal — and to win it we know we have to beat some of those teams, and that is the challenge.
“But I know for sure, none of those teams will want to face us. A lot of their best players play with us and against us, week in, week out; they know we are a tough opponent for any of them.”
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No distractions
With Kane having told Tottenham that he wants to leave the club this summer as he attempts to place himself in a better position to win trophies, he could be forgiven for losing focus as his future remains one of the media's biggest talking points.
The 27-year-old suffers from no such struggles, however, as he rarely reads social media and prefers to spend time with his young family rather than get lost in nights of partying as so many of his peers have fallen prey to.
“[Fame] has changed my life. But it hasn’t changed me as a person,” he says. “I would say the same about money. It means I can look after my wife and my family. But I can promise you if football was still an amateur sport, and we got paid nothing, I would still be a footballer.
“There is no other job that could give me the satisfaction this one does. I just happen to be playing in an era when the top players earn a lot.
“I want to be with [my wife] and the family. I am not a drinker, I am not someone who wants to be seen out and about. I want to be a top footballer, and that means focus and it means doing everything you need to do to be the best you can be.”
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