KANE: I’LL THRIVE ON ENGLAND CAPTAINCY
ON-FORM TOTTENHAM STAR RELISHES BIG ROLE AS ENGLAND LOOK TO SEAL WORLD CUP PLACE
Harry Kane is sure that the pressure of the England captaincy will never weigh him down.
The on-song Tottenham striker will skipper Gareth Southgate’s side in tonight’s World Cup qualifier against Slovenia, seeking a win to guarantee their place in Russia next summer.
“Having an armband on your arm doesn’t make any difference to how you play and if you score goals or not,” insisted Kane.
“It makes me very proud. Growing up as a kid, you dream about playing for your country and being captain as well.
“Walking out at Wembley will be an amazing thing for me, personally. I’ll just go out there and do my best for the team, try and score goals and win the match.
“We have plenty of leaders in the team. Plenty of us will speak up and try to help each other on the pitch, be there for each other when things are tough.”
Boss Southgate hailed the Spurs hero, saying: “His leadership qualities are invaluable to us as a team – he’s improving and maturing all the time.”
It’s little wonder that Southgate says the striker is “absolutely the kind of role model you want”, with his focus barely ever wavering and pressure bouncing off him. Kane aspires to be a consistent elite performer like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but his appreciation for players goes for past performers as well as present. He made a beeline for Sir Bobby Charlton at St George’s Park as England’s training pitch was renamed in his honour on Monday and picked the brain of Alan Shearer the following day.
“It was great – great to hear from him,” Kane said.
“I think the lads were attached to him telling the stories not just about England but about his whole career, what he’d come through, the ups and downs along the way.
“We spoke about penalties, we spoke about a lot of stuff.
“It was just great to have an England legend, really, coming, giving his experience and what he’s been through.”
While not yet seriously thinking about usurping Shearer as the Premier League’s record goalscorer, he was keen to find out about the former England striker’s movement into punditry.
“We just wanted to understand what that takes, what he does, how his mind-set changes,” he said.
“Because I’m sure when he was a player, he probably – like most players when they get criticised – wasn’t too happy. And now he’s the one criticising. But all that matters is what goes on in your head and being focused on your own job, no matter what anyone says, it’s what you do.”