Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team.
Kane made his first-team debut for Tottenham on 25 August 2011 in a UEFA Europa League match against Hearts. Before establishing himself in Tottenham's first team, he spent time on loan in League One playing for Leyton Orient, in the Championship playing for Millwall and Leicester City and in the Premier League for Norwich City.
He became a regular starter for Tottenham in the 2014–15 season, in which he scored 31 goals across the campaign, 21 of which in the league, and was named the PFA Young Player of the Year. Kane finished top scorer of both the 2015–16 and the 2016–17 Premier League seasons, and aided Tottenham in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League on both occasions. He has been named Premier League Player of the Month five times and scored over 100 goals for Tottenham.
Kane represented England at youth levels, playing for the under-17, -19, -20 and -21 levels. He scored on his senior international debut on 27 March 2015 and was selected for UEFA Euro 2016.
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| Kane as a young footballer. |
Harry Kane was born in Walthamstow to Kim and Patrick Kane and has one older brother, Charlie. He has Irish ancestry through his father who is from Galway. The family moved to Chingford where he attended Larkswood Primary Academy until 2004, followed by Chingford Foundation School (also attended by David Beckham). Kane recalls of his childhood:
I think the sporting genes come from my Mum's side of the family although the topic is a hot debate in the Kane household. Dad probably won't like me saying that, but I think my granddad Eric on my Mum's side was quite a good footballer, and played at a decent level.
Kane also said: "Most of my family were Spurs fans and I grew up 15 minutes from the ground, so I was always going to be a Spurs fan". He cited Teddy Sheringham as a childhood idol and saw him as a "great finisher" and a role model in his ability to score goals.
Style of play
Development
Kane's former youth coach Alex Inglethorpe has said of him:
When he first came into the under-18s as a 15 year old, he stood out in the sense he looked a bit gangly. He moved slightly awkwardly, he was a bit cumbersome. But look closer, he had a lot of ability, a great technique. I think he surprised people how good he was. Tactically he was very flexible. He often played in midfield. I remember seeing him once playing as a holding midfielder.
While a teenager, Kane initially struggled in Tottenham's academy, as partially due to his date of birth in July, he was not as physically developed as other players, nor was he as quick. However, he gained the respect of coaches with his technique and desire for self-improvement.
When profiling Kane in February 2013, Talksport said that he was best as a second striker, despite also having ability as a centre forward or in a wide position. They wrote that he preferred to place his shots, although he could also score from distance. The report also noted that he had good pace, but was weak in the air and had not scored on his loan at Norwich. Initially a back-up to £26 million Spanish import Roberto Soldado and frequently loaned out, Kane was eventually made Tottenham's starting forward by manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Analysis
He seems to have that natural ability to get goals. He's also young, fresh and his attitude appears to be very, very good. What I like about him, is that he is willing to run in behind defenders, as well as go short. When he gets opportunities he inveariably [sic] takes them. He wants to get his shot away very quickly, which is good to see. It looks as if he could have a very good future in the game.
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— Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time top scorer, on Kane in March 2015
Former Tottenham manager David Pleat described Kane as an "old-fashioned traditional centre-forward". Clive Allen, who coached him at Tottenham, stated that "one thing I'd say about him, which unfortunately you don't say about a lot of young footballers, is that he had a passion for the game. He loves football, he loves playing, he loves scoring goals". His former Tottenham under-21 coach Les Ferdinand likened Kane's movement to their former forward Teddy Sheringham, and the power and accuracy of his shots to Alan Shearer.
Kane's style of play has been compared to that of former Tottenham forward Jürgen Klinsmann, a comparison Kane called flattering in February 2015. In March 2015, Football Association chairman Greg Dyke named Kane as the benchmark for clubs producing young English players. Shearer said that month that the three best strikers playing in the league were Kane, Diego Costa and Sergio Agüero. In November 2015, a writer for the Daily Mail theorised that Kane could be the striker in a spine of Tottenham players in the England team, alongside Eric Dier and Dele Alli.
After Tottenham's victory over Chelsea in January 2015, blogger Chris Miller wrote, "Nobody thought he was the guy who was going to give that performance against Chelsea". In February 2015, BBC Sport wrote that Kane was best as a lone striker, with his "hold-up play and close control" making him apt in other positions as well. Also that month, Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy said that the England team should be built around Kane, stating, "I'm struggling to see a weakness in the lad's game
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