Captain Kane at the World Cup - media view from Henry Winter
Mon 18 June 2018, 13:32|
Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Kane leads England into World Cup action against Tunisia this evening (7pm UK) and we spoke to Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer at The Times, for his views on our home-grown striker taking the honour of wearing the captain's armband in Russia...
“I’m so pleased for Harry,” Henry told us. “I’ve always been a big fan, initially talking to people at the club and then meeting him when he was doing publicity for the London Playing Fields Foundation (in 2016). Harry obviously grew up in Walthamstow, played football and cricket at Peter May (Sports Centre) and he’s always backed the LPFF. He was young at that time and I thought ‘this is really impressive’, a good player who understood all the nuances of problems with obesity in London. He was absolutely backing this campaign and I thought ‘fair play to him’.
“There is obviously a fabulous player there but also someone who is grounded, with good people around him.
“I think his appointment as captain is brilliant for England. We live in an age where there aren’t that many leader types. When we were growing up with England in 1990, 1996, 1998, there were loads. What I like about Harry is he’s never shied away from it and when we’ve asked him about it in the past…everything is psychological with England but with Harry there is no fear and that’s so important.
The end of a busy but very proud day for me. You always dream of playing for @England growing up and being the captain is that bit more. Thanks for all your messages. 🦁🦁🦁 #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/rnlQosNbNY
— Harry Kane (@HKane) May 22, 2018
“In Harry, there are echoes of Alan Shearer, not simply in the style of play but the hunger to learn and a fearlessness on the pitch. He’ll take a penalty, he’s a team player who will drift wide to create space for others. What I like about Harry is when you talk to him, the ambition is there, but it’s not an arrogance – it’s almost a certainty. He does all the right things.”
Elaborating on Harry’s new responsibilities as Three Lions skipper, Henry continued: “I think as time goes on, captaincy becomes even more important. You need someone like Harry, who the players respect. It’s the little things. You see Harry Kane around the hotel, he’s very polite with staff, you talk to kit men and when he takes his shirt off, he doesn’t just throw it on the floor, he shows respect by placing it in the skip. He does that on photoshoots. I’ve spoken to photographers and they all say how Harry is brilliant, he leaves his shirt folded up after a photoshoot. It’s little things like that – respect to other people, respect for the shirt. Other players look at that and think, ‘if a player like Harry at the top of his game can do it, we can as well’. It’s a great boost for him but also a great boost for the other players who will watch what he is doing and hopefully follow.”
Harry's England numbers
- 24 caps
- 13 goals
- 5 matches as captain
- 6 goals as captain
On what we might expect to see from Gareth Southgate’s men in Russia, Henry added: “(England have) got a squad that doesn’t understand fear, a manager who doesn’t understand fear because he says nothing can compare to what he went through at Euro 96 and I think they have a chance. If England get to the quarter-finals, I think that would be terrific. One thing’s for sure – with Harry Kane, there will be sweat on the shirt at the end of the game and that’s what the fans want.”
