KANE S A GOALDEN WONDER
HARRY KANE paid tribute to the grassroots coaches who set him on the path to glory as he picked up a Pride of Sport Award.
The Tottenham and England ace is being honoured with the Inspirational Performance Award for his Golden Boot heroics at the World Cup, and in firing England to the Nations League finals in the thrilling Wembley win over Croatia.
The Mirror’s Pride of Sport Awards, in partnership with TSB, celebrate the unsung heroes of grassroots sport alongside some elite competitors who inspire them.
And Kane was quick to thank the volunteers at his childhood club, Ridgeway Rovers in Chingford, East London.
He said: “Without that foundation I wouldn’t be here. I want to say a huge thank you. It made a huge difference to my career, all those men and women behind the scenes.”
Kane is unable to attend the glittering awards dinner at London’s Grosvenor House on Thursday due to commitments ahead of Tottenham’s weekend clash at Leicester.
So Pride of Sport host Ben Shephard met him at the club’s base in Enfield, north London, to present the trophy.
Kane added: “It has been a massive year for England as a whole – just the way we’ve changed perceptions and the feeling around the national side.
“We’ve shown that we can compete with the best teams in the world.
“We’ve got the Nations League and we want to try to win that trophy, which would be a huge step in the right direction and that will give us full confidence going into the Euros.”
Kane admits that it might take until the end of his career for his Golden Boot win to fully sink in.
He said: “The Premier League started so soon after the World Cup that you didn’t really have time to digest it all.
“I’m sure when I’m a bit older I’ll be telling the kids and maybe the grandkids the story of that summer.”
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