This is our moment to make history – Kane
CAPTAIN IS READY FOR CHALLENGE OF LEADING ENGLAND TO GLORY
HARRY Kane insists he is ready for the challenge of leading England to World Cup glory.
The Tottenham striker captained the Three Lions to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of Euro 2020.
Now he heads into this tournament looking to make it third time lucky and end the nation’s 54-year wait for a major men’s trophy.
With England opening their campaign against Iran today, Kane said he is ready to seize the moment in the Middle East.
“Of course it is going to be really hard and a big challenge, but I am ready for that challenge,” he said.
“You cannot take anything for granted in football, for sure. I was lucky enough to play in 2018 in the World Cup and had an amazing experience and a great tournament and in football a lot can change very quickly.
“You have to appreciate these moments, for sure, and I am really looking forward to this one because we have got a really good team, a great blend of experience and youth.
“In life in general you have to take opportunities that come your way. I look back through my career and I had a great opportunity when I was 21 to grab the starting shirt at Tottenham and work my way up through the team and this is just another step in, hopefully, that direction.
“In four years’ time, who knows where I will be. It is about now. I am in good form and that is what I am most excited about.”
Having ended the 2018 World Cup as the highest goalscorer, Kane will be aiming to retain the award in Qatar – something that has never been achieved.
“Of course, it would be a great thing to achieve. I was able to do it in 2018 and it helped the team to get to a semi-final,” he added.
“I know if I won it again this year it means that, hopefully, the team is doing pretty well and we’re going pretty far which is the most important thing.”
Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate has confirmed England will take the knee before today’s game.
The Three Lions made the gesture against racism and inequality in 33 straight matches after football returned after the Covid-19 shutdown. The didn’t in September’s fixtures but they will in the Group B opener.
“We have discussed taking the knee,” England manager Southgate said. “We feel we should.
“It’s what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time. In the Premier League the clubs have decided to only do that for certain games, big occasions.
“We feel this is the biggest and we think it’s a strong statement that will go around the world for young people, in particular, to see that inclusivity is very important.”
Southgate also expects today’s game to be difficult, adding: “We recognise the quality of the opposition. The group is very tight in terms of the world rankings so it’s the hardest and at the beginning everyone has optimism and hope, so always the margins are close in the opening matches.
“The objective is to get out of the group, however you manage to do that, and that’s our first objective.”