“I’m performing at the highest level I’ve ever performed” : Harry Kane indicates that the 2026 World Cup might not be his last tournament
Harry Kane has been on an insane scoring run since the past few years, and some might even say that the England skipper is performing better than he did in his peak 20s. Be it playing for the Three Lions or Bayern Munich, it comes as no surprise when we see the 31-year-old’s name on the scoring sheet every time.
The forward was yet again part of the scoring against the Republic of Ireland, as England beat them 5-0 and secured their promotion to the top tier of Nations League. This marks his 20th goal of the season already overall, in addition to 9 assists, all in just three months. Kane now has 69 goals to his name in 103 appearances for his nation, which begs the question – will he keep up with this form till the 2026 World Cup, or perhaps even beyond that?
When quizzed about whether or not the next World Cup will be it for him, he explained how footballers after the age of 30 are perceived, and that he is feeling better than he ever has.
“I don’t think so. I think there’s a perception when you get to your 30s that you’re coming to an end but for me I’m performing at the highest level I’ve ever performed and feel as good as I’ve ever felt, so it’s about taking in the moment.” said Kane (via Reuben Rosso-Powell from the PA News Agency).
“I don’t like to look too far ahead and in my career I never have, the World Cup is going to be exciting.”
“In America it will be an incredible occasion and ultimately it’s about trying to win that, looking at where you are, where to improve and it will be no different in a couple of years.” the 31-year-old added.
Kane is spot on, as it is not the first time we have seen a player over the age of 30 reach world class levels. Even if we exclude Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from this list, the likes of Luis Suarez, Luka Modric, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Kevin de Bruyne have reached unprecedented levels in their respective positions.
“We’ve come close on a couple of occasions and the next step is for me and the other boys to win” : Harry Kane
Kane was also asked about if he would like to have a statue in Wembley stadium just like the great Bobby Moore, to which his simple answer was that they needed to win the World Cup first for such an honour. He also mentioned that the arrival of new head coach Thomas Tuchel will certainly help matters going forward.
“I think we need to win a major tournament, we’ve come close on a couple of occasions and the next step is for me and the other boys to win.”
“We have a new coach coming in March. He’ll be great for us, he has vast experience in the big competitions, he’ll bring a great energy to the team and he’ll put his own stamp and identity on the way we play tactically.”
Talking about statues, the England captain’s statue was unveiled today at the Peter May Centre in London, to which he had some special words for.
“It’s pretty special to be honest, these are things I didn’t think of when I was young.”
“These little moments are special and this is where I first started playing, it all began here and it was the building blocks of my career. This is a great inspiration for the boys and girls who play,” Kane said.
