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Harry Kane does not believe the 2026 World Cup will be his last chance to help England end their long wait for silverware.
The England captain’s future with the national team has come under increasing scrutiny, with the 31-year-old surprisingly omitted from the starting line-up from last week’s match in Greece.
However, Kane returned to the side for Lee Carsley’s final game as interim boss on Sunday and scored the opening goal in a 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland that secured England’s promotion to the top tier of the Nations League.
That extended his all-time England scoring record to 69 goals in 103 appearances and, speaking at the unveiling of a statue of him at Peter May Sports Centre in east London – the home of Kane’s former youth team Ridgeway Rovers – the prolific Bayern Munich striker has no intention of stopping any time soon.
When asked if 2026 is his final opportunity for World Cup glory, Kane told the PA news agency: “I don’t think so. I think there’s a perception when you get to your 30s that you’re coming to an end but for me I’m performing at the highest level I’ve ever performed and feel as good as I’ve ever felt, so it’s about taking in the moment.
“I don’t like to look too far ahead and in my career I never have, the World Cup is going to be exciting.
“In America it will be an incredible occasion and ultimately it’s about trying to win that, looking at where you are, where to improve and it will be no different in a couple of years.”
Kane, who started out at Ridgeway Rovers as a five-year-old, has enjoyed a record-breaking career with England and was part of the team that finished runners-up at the last two European Championships and reached the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.
However, England are still waiting to win their first trophy since the 1966 World Cup and Kane believes that is what it will take if he is ever to have a statue of him erected outside Wembley alongside Bobby Moore.
“I think we need to win a major tournament,” said Kane, when asked about a possible statue at the national stadium.
“We’ve come close on a couple of occasions and the next step is for me and the other boys to win.
“We have a new coach coming in March (Thomas Tuchel). He’ll be great for us, he has vast experience in the big competitions, he’ll bring a great energy to the team and he’ll put his own stamp and identity on the way we play tactically.”
Kane and David Beckham are two notable products of Ridgeway Rovers.
The former Tottenham forward added of his statue unveiling: “It’s pretty special to be honest, these are things I didn’t think of when I was young.
“These little moments are special and this is where I first started playing, it all began here and it was the building blocks of my career. This is a great inspiration for the boys and girls who play.”
PA
