Kane has been doubted at other stages of his career. There were questions about his place in the team after Euro 2024, when his performances were underwhelming and he was substituted in the final.
Harry Kane said he still felt a pressure to prove his worth as he prepared to become England’s most capped men’s player, and outlined his determination to set records that would stand for years.
“I don’t think it will ever leave me,” Kane said, when asked whether he continued to have points to prove. “Because I’ve had to prove people wrong my whole career.”.
He has also been ridiculed for setting lofty targets. In September 2024, standing on the verge of his 100th England cap with 66 goals, he said he wanted to score 100.
“The goal record, of course, is going to be one that’s difficult to beat for a while,” Kane said. “I’ll try and give them a good number to catch.”.
He said he was conscious that two of his younger England teammates had won a significant number of caps. “If I was younger and I had a player in front of me doing what I was doing, I know that would push me to think: ‘OK, I can score those goals, I can win the Ballon d’Or, I can break the cap record.’”.
“No matter what you’ve achieved, there is always a trophy that someone else has won or a goal record that someone else has,” Kane said. “It’s by setting standards, being available every time, getting the caps and scoring the goals.”.
He said he had changed his technique a little and that it had made him improve.
Kane said the need to prove people wrong would not leave him, even with the goals, the caps and the Ballon d’Or already behind him.