My team-mates are like brothers

Captain hails feeling of togetherness in squad Striker inspired by boy’s battle with brain tumour

in Samara

Harry Kane believes the England squad have become brothers in arms as they try to clinch a place in the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990 against Sweden today. Kane is the top scorer in the competition, but claims the trust that has been built between the players is even more important than his six goals.

“We’re just like family, really,” said the England captain. “We’ve spent a lot of time together. We all get on very well. It’s made us even stronger. That joy in everyone’s Harry Kane @Hkane

Hi Ben, I’ve seen your video and you are an inspiration. Carry on fighting and we’ll do everything we can on Saturday to keep a smile on your face! #Bensworldcup

Harry Kane sent a message of support, saying “You are an inspiration”, to Ben Herbert, five, who is fighting cancer. face the other night [the penalty shoot-out defeat of Colombia], we’d worked so hard to achieve that and it makes us even prouder. I look at them as my brothers and they do the same.”

Kane and his team-mates are aware of the wild scenes in England sparked by their performances and the striker has also been touched by the personal story of a young boy called Ben, who was treated for a brain tumour.

Kane described Ben as an “inspiration” on Twitter, promising the England team would do everything they can to keep a smile on his face.

Asked about the exchange, Kane said: “We’re in a bit of a bubble here, concentrating so much on the football and doing well, making everyone proud. But sometimes there are bigger things going on.

“Whenever we can connect with the fans it’s great for us. We know we have a big influence with what we say and how we act. Something comes along to catch our eye now and again, and that little lad was an inspiration. I was happy to tweet him back. Hopefully that will put a smile on his face, as will going further in the tournament.”

Kane said the squad had enjoyed watching videos of the celebrations. “It’s massive. I was one of those fans not too long ago getting drink thrown all over me and going wild. It’s what we want to see. We wanted to make the country proud, and it looks like we are doing that. We want to bring the whole country together and to see them enjoying it as they are is fantastic for us.”

England last reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990, when they lost to West Germany, and equalling that feat is a more important target for Kane than any personal records. As he chases the Golden Boot, it was pointed out to Kane that since 1974 only former Brazil striker Ronaldo has scored more than six goals at a World Cup.

Ronaldo netted eight times in 2002, but Kane insisted: “I don’t think about it. I didn’t know that. The job is to help the team as much as possible, with and without the ball, scoring goals or getting assists.

“Hopefully it can continue and I carry on scoring. That would be amazing, but the focus is on helping the team.”

Kane has already outscored Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are out of the tournament, and manager Gareth Southgate admitted this World Cup could herald a changing of the guard in terms of the best players and the best teams.

“Personally, I think the world always changes and teams evolve,” said Southgate. “The teams that have been dominant for a long time, maybe their team has an era of players who are very strong. It’s very unusual for a team to be constantly at the top, then younger players come through and new teams emerge.

“We’re seeing a bit of that at this tournament. There are some really exciting young players across the world announcing themselves on the world stage. That’s what is so fantastic for Harry. To do that on the world stage, scoring goals, is a great achievement and is helping us enormously as a team.” Kane was