Poch piles praise on humble Harry
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MAURICIO POCHETTINO says Harry Kane’s life story left him teary-eyed.
The Tottenham boss got all emotional when he read an internet article this week in which Kane talked about his tough road to the top. Called ‘Zero To 100’, Kane revealed on the website The Players’ Tribune how he overcame rejection at the age of eight by today’s opponents Arsenal to become a goalscoring sensation. Kane discussed his character-building years on loan at Millwall and the pain of failing to get into the Leicester squad during another short-term switch. But the tough route to the top paid off, with the England ace netting his 100th Premier League goal against Liverpool last Sunday. In the article, he lavishes praise on the work done by Pochettino. “We read the other day the article ‘Zero to 100’ and we got emotional,” said Pochettino, who earned a reputation in his playing days as a no-nonsense centre-back. “In it, he explained about his life, how he thinks, how he does everything. “He did all this with us in the last three and a half or four years. We know how tough it was for him to achieve all that he has achieved. “We know how important his family was for him and the good advice he got from his dad, family, brother and everyone. I think he is a good example for everyone. “It’s difficult to find this type of history today in football and, after all that has happened, behave how he behaves when he is one of the top players in the world. “He was so humble in how he described his situation. That is why I got emotional, reading about the memories.” Describing Kane as a “hero” all around the world, Pochettino (below) insists it is the player who deserves all the credit. “He’s achieved what he has achieved because of him, not because of us,” he added. “We are lucky, in this period, that he is shining. “He is more mature now. He is so confident and his self-belief, arrogance and ego is in a good balance. “You cannot be Harry Kane if you do not have a good ego or you are not a little bit arrogant, but if you are too much, you cross the line and you start to struggle. “I think you are going to twist and say, ‘Pochettino is in love with him’ and that my wife is jealous! But I’m only answering honestly your questions.” Kane has scored six goals in six Premier League derbies against the Gunners, failing to score in just one of those games. Pochettino added: “To have the impact Harry has had is so difficult and that is why for me he is one of the greatest strikers.”