KNIGHT TO REMEMBER
Kane: It would be a dream to emulate Sir Geoff and score goal that wins final
HARRY KANE is dreaming of emulating the great Sir Geoff Hurst – by firing England to glory at Wembley.
Hurst remains the only man to score a World Cup Final hat-trick – and will always be remembered for his ‘They think it’s all over moment...’ when his lastminute rocket secured a famous 4-2 victory over West Germany in 1966.
Kane will lead England’s attack tonight at Wembley in the nation’s first major final for 55 years.
And as the Three Lions skipper paid tribute to the 79-year-old legend Hurst – one of only four members of the team managed by Sir Alf Ramsey still living – he admitted that he would love to make his own history.
“As a striker, this is always the moment you dream of,” said the Tottenham talisman, who is just one strike shy of equalling Gary
Lineker’s record of 10 tournament goals for his country. “You want to be the one who scores the match winner in a major game. “Obviously I was fortunate enough to do that in the semi-final. “Like I’ve always said, it doesn’t matter if I don’t score as long as we win. “But, of course, Sir Geoff has that amazing moment in history. “It’s a goal everyone still watches and looks back on – and I am sure he still enjoys that moment now as much as he did when he did it back in ’66. “These occasions are there to take and to grab. “We have an opportunity to create our own history and that’s the most exciting part of it.” Kane, 27, has scored 38 goals for England in 60 internationals. He has hit the net four times in the knockout stages, with goals against Germany, Ukraine and Denmark after a slow start to the tournament.
And more goals in the final would give him the chance to put a European Championship Golden Boot next to the one he brought back from the World Cup three years ago.
To do that, Kane must get past Italian icon Giorgio Chiellini.
The 36-year-old slab of Tuscan marble is Roberto Mancini’s captain and an uncompromising presence at the heart of the Azzurri defence.
He also has ‘previous’ with Kane – dismissing his Tottenham team as notorious bottle merchants after Juventus knocked
them out of
the Champions League in 2018. But Kane has promised that he will do his talking on the pitch.
He said: “To be honest, my focus really isn’t on him – or that game.
“I think the focus has to be on this game as a whole – and we are facing a very good team.
“The battle isn’t just me versus Chiellini all night.
“The battle is going to be our team against theirs – and it’s going to be a tough game.
“I remember what he said, obviously, from when it happened – but look, he’s a respected footballer and he’s a fantastic player.
“I am looking forward to another battle.
“As a player you want to play against the best defenders in the world – and Italy’s two centrehalves are definitely that. I am looking forward to the challenge.”
But it does rankle with Kane that he still doesn’t have a winner’s medal to put alongside his individual accolades. He has lost a Champions League final and two League Cup finals – and his pre-tournament plea to be allowed to join a club capable of winning trophies has put Manchester City on a £150million alert.
Kane is delighted to be going into tonight’s showpiece game fully fit –for once.
He added: “I have played three finals – and in two of them I picked up injuries before the game.
“That means your focus is more about getting fit than actually on the final itself.
“So it’s really nice to be coming into this final free in my mind as well as coming off the back of scoring for a few games in a row.
“As a striker that’s great to have. I feel confident, I feel good. I feel like the team is in a really good place.
“And we have a really good self-belief amongst ourselves as a squad.”