November 19 – England captain Harry Kane says he wants to carry on playing for his country beyond the 2026 World Cup.
There is increasing scrutiny about the 31-year-old’s future, even though he extended his all-time England scoring record to 69 goals in 103 appearances when England thrashed the Republic of Ireland 5-0 on Sunday.
A statue and mural of Kane were unveiled on Monday at the east London home of his former youth team Ridgeway Rovers when he was asked if the 2026 World Cup is his last shot at glory.
“I don’t think so,” said Kane. “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.
“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.”
Kane started playing at Ridgeway Rovers at age five. “It all began here and it was the building blocks of my career,” he said. “I played on these pitches as a five-year-old with dreams of playing for England, and I’ve been lucky enough to achieve that.”
And he can’t wait to keep going under incoming England head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Kane has scored 61 goals in all competitions since joining Bayern Munich last August, at least eight more than any other player from Europe’s top five leagues. He scored 44 of those under when Tuchel was at Bayern.
“He’ll be great for England, 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,” Kane added.
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