Harry Kane: I have spent my life proving people wrong – that is why I do my talking on the pitch

It was nine years ago, in an interview with Telegraph Sport, that Harry Kane first talked about having to prove doubters wrong to show he was not a “one-season wonder”. It was a phrase he brought up – it was not in answer to a question after his outstanding breakthrough season – and even became a chant at Tottenham Hotspur.

‌Then, three years later, there was another exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport which was headlined: “I feel I must keep proving people wrong”.

Now in 2024 England’s captain, England’s record goalscorer, their leader and their talisman looks like he is having to do it all over again as he prepares to lead his country into the European Championship semi-final against the Netherlands. The doubters are there.

‘My role isn’t just scoring goals’

“It’s something I’ve got used to throughout my career,” Kane, who is 31 later this month, said as he also questioned whether those criticising his game – primarily former players  – “really understand football” and added that England have a “certain aura” to them because they now consistently go deep into competitions.

Kane explained: “If you look over the last couple of major tournaments, there’s always been at some stage question marks over my fitness or my form. I think it is part and parcel of it.

“I always say I want to score in every game. I want to try and help the team in every game from that sense. But also my role isn’t just scoring goals. My role is a lot of work defensively, a lot of work without the ball, a lot of work in leadership.

“So of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I know everyone wants me to score three goals a game and I want to score three goals a game. But it’s not always the case.”

There have been concerns over Kane’s fitness – he suffered a back injury at the end of the season – and he does not appear to be moving freely. “He is not sharp,” concluded the former England international Ian Wright while there has even been a debate as to whether Kane should be dropped. Advocates have included another former England player, Steve McManaman.

“Maybe, sometimes when I don’t score I think the fitness one is an easy one just to throw in now – ‘why? Is there a reason? Is it his fitness? Is it not?’,” Kane argued.

“But like I said before the tournament, I felt like I had a good preparation going into it, I felt like I’m getting better and sharper as the games go along. Ultimately, it’s just down to me performing on the pitch.

“We have a semi-final ahead of us and of course I’d love nothing more than to score a couple of goals and get through to the final. So that’s what I’m trying to do, as always do my talking on the pitch.”

Should Kane drop deep or play as a classic No 9?

Another part of the debate around Kane is where he plays in the team and whether him dropping deeper is a hindrance rather than a help. Alan Shearer, another former England striker, has discussed this and suggested it would be far more beneficial if Kane stayed higher up the pitch. He has managed just 23 touches in the penalty area in 464 minutes.

“When I’m dropping deep it might not necessarily be to get the ball,” Kane explained. “It might be to create space for players around me or drag defenders out of their positions and leave space for others.

“As you’ve seen in my game in recent years I like to get on the ball and turn…I criticise myself as much as anything and I know there’s been times in games for sure where I could do better and move better especially in and around the box.
“Ultimately I do what’s best for the team and I know I’ll always be judged on goals. But if you had said before the tournament I’d have a couple of goals, I’d be in the semi-finals, I’d have bitten your hand off.

“So there’s a lot of perspective. I understand it. I understand we’re in a major tournament and that at the end of the day everyone just wants the best for England and wants us to go through.

“But if you really understand football and analyse football there are different reasons for dropping deep and staying high and that’s what we work on throughout the week, to exploit the other team.”

Kane has two goals so far from four chances in five appearances – scoring in the draw against Denmark in the group stages and the winner against Slovakia in the last-16 tie. The leading scorers in the tournament have just three goals with only Dutch forward Cody Gakpo still in it.

“I’d like to have scored more goals but the tournament has been a low-scoring tournament for different reasons,” Kane said. “The pitches are part of that reason. Teams are more organised and from a manager’s point of view more structured and they make it difficult for the favourites or better teams to exploit.

“Hopefully I score a couple of goals and you’re looking at that in a totally different way. You’re top goal-scorer and you’re through to a final and it’s a totally different perspective.”

Slowly the perspective has been changing for England, the criticism subsiding, and certainly after the penalty shoot-out win over Switzerland in the quarter-final.

“Step by step you grow into the tournament,” Kane argued. “As a team we’ve been clear that we haven’t hit the heights of how we want to play but I feel we’re getting better each game. We still haven’t reached the full potential that you’ve seen for several years now. But we’re still in a good place.”

They will be in an even better place if they beat the Dutch and reach Sunday’s final, the second in a row in the Euros, and the first ever in a tournament outside of England. “When you’ve been in finals, semi-finals on a consistent basis that gives you a certain aura as a team that other nations look at and that’s down to our own work,” Kane said. 

“We’ve built that up over past tournaments and now we’re in a situation where we deserve to be… it’s a chance for us to take another step and show what we can do.”