During an appearance on BT Sport’s What I Wore series last year, Harry Kane revealed a heartwarming story about Jermain Defoe. The Tottenham star and England captain recounted how Defoe once stopped for a kickabout with him and his school friends when he was just 11 years old. Kane, who was part of the Spurs academy at the time, said that he was playing football with around 15 of his mates in the street where he lived in Chingford when a black Range Rover pulled up and Defoe got out. The striker then played with them for around 20 minutes and signed autographs for the boys. Kane said that it was an amazing experience that he would always remember and that he hoped to be able to do the same for young football fans one day.
Kane went on to talk about his ambition to become the Premier League’s all-time top scorer. He currently has 201 goals in the top-flight and is closing in on Alan Shearer’s record of 260. Kane believes that he has plenty of time left in his career to achieve this goal and is determined to do so. Unlike Shearer, Kane wears the No.10 shirt for Tottenham, which he says is a bigger number than No.9 because of the iconic players who have worn it in the past, such as Robbie Keane, Glenn Hoddle, and Teddy Sheringham. For England, Kane wears No.9, which he believes is a bigger number for a striker.
Despite his success in front of goal, Kane has yet to win a major trophy with Tottenham. The club famously came close to winning the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season but fell short to Leicester City. Kane said that this was his best season so far and that he felt ready to take the league by storm after having a good season the year before. He also mentioned that it was his first season wearing the No.10 shirt for Tottenham.
Kane’s story about Defoe highlights the impact that professional footballers can have on young fans. For Kane, meeting Defoe and playing football with him was a dream come true and inspired him to pursue his own career in football. Now, as one of the best strikers in the world, Kane has the opportunity to inspire a new generation of young footballers and give back to the sport that has given him so much.
