Harry Kane knows there is just one thing holding him back from taking the next step as a player.
At 27, Kane is Tottenham and England captain, a player with two Premier League Golden Boot awards, a player with experience in a World Cup semi-final, and a player with runners’ up medals in the League Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
Kane bided his time in north London. Loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester allowed him to find his rhythm and develop his game. But now in his footballing prime, in a win-now mindset, he wants – and needs – trophies to kick on.
Harry Kane is determined to end his trophy drought on the eve of the 2020-21 season
Kane will again lead Tottenham’s charge for success in Jose Mourinho’s first full campaign
Kane came close to winning the Champions League year ago but fell short in the Madrid final
‘I’m at the height of my powers, as people like to say. I’m 27 and feeling good, feeling fresh,’ Kane said.
‘I’m excited. It’s obviously down to what I do on the pitch and what we do as a team. But for me to take that next step as a player and try to progress as a player is to win those trophies. Obviously it’s great scoring goals and winning Golden Boots but, as I’ve said before, there would be no better feeling than lifting a trophy with my team-mates.
‘That’s the ultimate goal. That’s what I’ll try to do and hopefully this year can be a big year for club and country.’
On the eve of the new season, the slate clean from what has gone before, Kane goes into the new domestic campaign with eyes on the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and the Europa League – which starts for Tottenham on September 17 in Bulgaria against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
With England next year the rearranged Euro 2020 tournament is another opportunity to add a major title to his honours’ list.
The new season brings with it a renewed excitement, a renewed belief for Kane in a year which has been halted by injury and then the coronavirus pandemic. Sitting down to talk on Zoom having arrived back from Denmark with England, Kane made it perfectly clear he has ‘plenty in the tank’ for a hectic 2020-21.
The England captain is feeling ‘fresh’ and feels this could be the breakthrough year for him
‘We’d have love to have a few more team trophies in the trophy room but from a personal point of view I feel I’ve improved a lot, scored many goals and feel I’m growing as a player year on year and gaining experience year on year, improving year on year,’ Kane continued.
‘Hopefully for the next six, seven eight years, I can keep myself fit and healthy, push on and do great things.
‘I feel like I’ve got a lot more left in the tank, I feel like I can have a lot more improvement to do and get a lot better than what I have been. So far it’s been good, but the type of person I am I believe I can always get better.’
Kane’s ascent has been incredible to watch. On the domestic front he went from scoring north of 20 goals in a season to surpassing 40 in the 2017-18 campaign in which Tottenham came second in the Premier League.
And while Kane is brimming with optimism ahead of Sunday’s league opener against Everton he is under no illusions that a ‘crazy’ 12 months lies in wait.
‘The schedule this season is going to be pretty crazy and I guess we’ll just have to adapt to it as we go along,’ he explained.
Mourinho (right) is a winner at every club he has managed and is aiming for more silverware
Kane has continued to elevate his game and is hopeful injury woes this year are behind him
‘It’s never going to be easy especially with these Nations League games before the season starts. But it is what is. As players, we love to play football and I’m someone who doesn’t mind playing week in and week out, getting into a rhythm, getting stronger, getting fit, getting sharp.
‘I guess throughout the season we’ll just have to address certain situations and if we need a rest then we’ll have to do that.’
For the start of the season at least supporters will remain locked out of the stadiums as clubs continue to follow coronavirus protocol.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Wednesday that a review into reopening grounds would take place, casting further doubt on when fans will return to their seats.
The void of no supporters has taken its toll on everyone in the game, not least the players who are so used to feeding off the energy in a crowd over the course of 90 minutes.
The impact of fans, and the need for their safe return, has not been lost on Kane and he recently paid a surprise visit to Tottenham superfan Lynn Stone at her home as part of Coca-Cola’s ‘Make Your Home The Home End’ campaign .
Kane surprised Tottenham superfan Lynn Stone with the new home shirt in recent weeks
With supporters being kept at bay due to Covid-19 protocol, Kane was keen to give back
‘I met Lynn who was a massive fan, been going to pretty much every game home and away for 15-20 years or so,’ Kane said. ‘I went to her house, surprised her, dropped off a delivery – a few cans of cokes and the new Spurs kit. It’s amazing to meet fans and see how much it means to them. It’s a great thing that you’re doing and when you surprise any fans, let alone loyal fans that have been there from the very beginning. It was great to talk to fans, understand them, spend a bit of time getting to know them so it was good.’
The motivation for Kane now is for Lynn and her fellow supporters to be celebrating the delivery of a trophy this season.
Harry Kane is a Coca-Cola ambassador and stars in the new ‘Make Your Home the Home End’ campaign giving fans the chance to win their Premier League new season shirt on special packs of Coca-Cola.