Harry Kane hoping to extend England career beyond 2026 World Cup
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Bayern Munich's English forward Harry Kane is England’s all-time record goalscorer with 69 goals in 102 games.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
LONDON – England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane believes that he is performing at his highest level, as he dismissed suggestions that the 2026 World Cup should be his international swansong.
Former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel will take over as manager of the Three Lions in January, with his first matches not until March when the World Cup qualifiers get under way.
However, in the previous months, it was interim boss Lee Carsley who guided England to promotion from the second tier of the Nations League with five wins from his six games in charge.
That included a 3-0 win away at Greece on Nov 14, when Carsley dropped Kane to the bench.
The 31-year-old England captain admitted that he had been shocked by that call, but he scored in the 5-0 thrashing of the Republic of Ireland on Nov 17 on his return to the starting line-up.
At Euro 2024 last summer, Kane often looked laboured and was substituted in all four knockout games as England reached the final, which they lost 2-1 to Spain.
Since then, though, he has scored 20 times for club and country in 21 appearances this season.
“There’s a perception when you get to your thirties 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,” Kane told the Press Association.
“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.”
He was speaking at the unveiling of a statue of him at the home of his former youth team Ridgeway Rovers in east London.
Already England’s all-time record scorer with 69 goals in 103 games, Kane could also surpass Peter Shilton’s record of 125 caps.
But he believes that he must help end his nation’s wait for a major tournament victory since 1966 to emulate World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore and be honoured with a statue at Wembley.
Kane previously worked with Tuchel at Bayern and is positive about the impact the German can make when he becomes the third foreign manager to take charge of England – after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson of Sweden and Italian Fabio Capello.
“We need to win a major tournament. We’ve come close on a couple of occasions and the next step is for us to win,” he added.
“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.” AFP, REUTERS
