Harry Kane has suggested he sees his sporting future in the United States as he hinted he will end his footballing career in Major League Soccer – and could also then look to fulfil his ambition of becoming a placekicker in NFL.
The England captain, who is likely to extend his contract with Bayern Munich, had also wondered about trying to become a professional golfer.
But he has decided he won’t be good enough to tee off for a living, explaining: “I toy with that in my head. I watch golf and think, ‘I could be there’. Then I go out and play and I am like, ‘no, there’s no way’. I play off two. But I am a member at Wentworth and I shoot 10 over. Then I watch the pros, who played there last week, and 20 under wins it. I think I’ll stick to football.”
However, Kane, a friend and admirer of former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, thinks a potential move to the United States could allow him to combine two sports.
“It all depends on what happens in my career over the next five or six years, the motivation and what I want to do. The NFL is a lot more realistic than the golf one, let’s put it that way,” he added.
“I think it is something I am used to kicking more than using my hands. I see that one. I take penalties and it is a very similar pressure, technique. If I did that, in terms of training, I would be closer to that more than any other sport.
“But as I know, with all elite sports, when you watch it on TV, people make it look easy and you think it is possible but that is not always the case. If I was to do it, it is something I would take seriously. I would take six months to a year to try and practice before.”
Kane is yet to be approached by an NFL franchise but feels that being in America might help that happen.
“That might come later on,” he said. “If people know I am still on the top of my game here with football it is not a conversation that would be had.
“Maybe if I am in the MLS in the future or somewhere like that, it might be a thing where you could connect the two maybe with the seasons but again, it is in the back of my mind because right now, I am feeling that I want to play as long as I can here.
“I think sometimes it is easy to get to my age, 33, you start thinking about retirement or the future but I am trying to extract everything I can from the last two, five or 10 years, I will keep going.”
