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England skipper Harry Kane fully intends to take a leaf out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s book to extend his career as far as he can.
The 31-year-old Bayern Munich striker endured a difficult Euro 2024 campaign as Gareth Southgate’s side made it to a second successive final, but once again came away empty-handed.
On Thursday evening, Portugal superstar Ronaldo scored the 900th goal of his career in a Nations League victory over Croatia – his 213th appearance for his country – to further illustrate his enduring potency, and Kane has taken that message to heart.
He said: “Cristiano is the benchmark, not only being one of the best footballers ever to play, but also the benchmark of how long you can play for at a higher level.
“I think sometimes in football and maybe in sport in general, there’s a perception that when you get to your thirties it’s time to start slowing down, playing fewer games and not playing to the high level.
“But like I’ve touched on before, the Ronaldos, the (Lionel) Messis, the (Karim) Benzemas, (Robert) Lewandowskis, all these guys who have had incredible careers in their thirties and almost upped their level as they got into mid-thirties and really reaching their peak.
“Cristiano is just showing that every week, every time he plays, every time he scores, so from my point of view, that’s the aim; I want to play as long as possible for England, and I want to play as long as possible in football and it’s great to see other athletes doing it in front of me. It shows that it’s possible, and it’s just about how you feel yourself.
“I feel in a really good place, both physically and mentally and whatever noise there is around – I’m sure there will be noise around me, like there was around Cristiano, and still is around Cristiano – but as long as you keep performing and keep doing what you know you can, that’s all you can do.”
Kane, who is in line to win his 99th cap against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday evening, struggled to make the impact he had done in previous tournaments in Germany this summer, while others too were unable to replicate their best form, leading to questions about burn-out.
While acknowledging the physical demands of ever-longer seasons – likely to be exacerbated by the 2025 Club World Cup – the former Tottenham striker admits the increasing pressure is something players simply have to get used to.
He said: “There was a lot of talk during the Euros about me and my condition, but like I said then, I felt in good shape.
Sometimes when it does not go the way you wanted it to go, there is always something to look for and someone to blame— England captain Harry Kane
“Did the games go the way I wanted? No. Not really. But there were a lot of us who felt below par in terms of individual performances and we did extremely well to get to where we got to, which was down to our team spirit and cohesion we created over the years.
“But sometimes when it does not go the way you wanted it to go, there is always something to look for and someone to blame. But I feel good, I have come back in a good place and I have started the season well.”
England could include Declan Rice, who won three caps for Ireland, and Jack Grealish, a former Ireland Under-21 international, among their ranks at the Aviva Stadium, while Kane too qualified through his paternal grandparents.
However, asked how close he came to pulling on the green shirt, he said: “I don’t think it was ever on the radar. I’d have to ask my dad for sure – there might have been a few conversations in the youth team that I didn’t know about – but like I said, I was focused on England.”
