Harry Kane

Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and captains the England national team.

A prolific goalscorer with strong link play, Kane is regarded as one of the best players in the world and one of the best strikers of his generation.

He is both Tottenham Hotspur's and England's all-time highest goalscorer, as well as being the second-highest all-time goalscorer in the Premier League.

Kane has scored over 350 goals for club and country.

Harry Edward Kane was born on 28 July 1993 in Walthamstow, London, to Kim (née Hogg) and Patrick Kane and has one older brother, Charlie.

He has Irish ancestry through his father, who is from Galway.

He played football from a young age, joining a local club, Ridgeway Rovers, when he was six in 1999.

Kane talked about footballing in the family:

I think the sporting genes come from my Mum's side of the family although the topic is a hot debate in the Kane household.

Dad probably won't like me saying that, but I think my granddad Eric on my Mum's side was quite a good footballer, and played at a decent level.

Kane also said: "Most of my family were Spurs fans and I grew up 15 minutes from the ground, so I was always going to be a Spurs fan".

He named former Spurs striker Teddy Sheringham his childhood idol, and saw him as a "great finisher" and a role model in his ability to get in the box and score goals.

Other childhood sporting influences he cited include David Beckham and Jermain Defoe.

Kane has also spoken of his admiration for the former Brazil forward Ronaldo, adding that he loved to watch footage of him on YouTube: "He was one of the first ones I looked at and thought, 'Wow. He's a goalscorer, I want to be a goalscorer.'"

Kane first played for a local club, Ridgeway Rovers, and joined the Arsenal youth academy when he was eight years old.

He was released after one season for being "a bit chubby" and not "very athletic", according to Liam Brady who was then in charge of Arsenal's academy.

The family moved to Chingford where Kane attended Larkswood Primary Academy until 2004, followed by Chingford Foundation School (also attended by David Beckham).

In 2004, at the age of eleven, he joined Watford academy for a four- to six-week trial, and was then given another chance at Tottenham after he impressed playing for Watford against Tottenham.

He first played at Tottenham as a midfielder – initially in a holding position, then as an attacking midfielder.

In his early days at Tottenham, Kane did not stand out as a player as he was neither big nor was he particularly quick, but those who worked with him noted his constant desire to improve various aspects of his game.

A couple of years after joining, he had a large growth spurt that made him taller and physically stronger.

In the 2008–09 season, he played in the under-16s side that competed in the Copa Chivas tournament in Mexico, and the Bellinzona tournament in Switzerland, scoring three goals.

Beginning his senior career with Tottenham Hotspur in 2009, Kane had loan spells out to clubs across the English football pyramid, including Leyton Orient, Millwall, Leicester City, and Norwich City.

In July 2009, on his 16th birthday, he signed a scholarship contract with Tottenham.

In the 2009–10 season, Kane played 22 times for Tottenham's under-18s, scoring 18 goals.

Kane appeared on the first-team bench twice during the 2009–10 season.

Both matches were in home domestic cup victories: one the League Cup fixture against Everton on 27 October 2009 and the other in the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Bolton Wanderers on 24 February 2010.

Kane's involvement at Tottenham increased after Mauricio Pochettino became head coach in 2014, and in his first full season at the club he was named PFA Young Player of the Year.

In the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons, Kane finished as the league's top goalscorer.

In the latter campaign, he helped Tottenham finish as Premier League runners-up and was named PFA Fans' Player of the Year.

He appeared more than 30 times at youth international level and made a goalscoring debut with the senior team in March 2015, at age 21.

Manager Arsène Wenger stated in November 2015 that he was disappointed that Arsenal chose to release Kane.

He also had a trial at Tottenham Hotspur but was not initially successful, and he returned to his old club Ridgeway Rovers.

Kane featured and scored during England's successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, and represented the country at the tournament.

Kane registered his best campaign statistically to date in the 2017–18 season, with 41 goals scored in 48 games across all competitions, and in the following season, he finished as a runner-up in the UEFA Champions League.

He was named England captain just before the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in which he finished as the competition's top goalscorer, winning the Golden Boot, leading England to fourth place, their highest finish since 1990.

He ended the 2020–21 season as the league's top goalscorer and top assist provider.

In 2023, Kane became the most expensive signing in Bundesliga history, costing €110 million, as he signed for Bayern Munich.

Kane has scored 62 goals in 89 appearances for England.

He led England to the runner-up position at UEFA Euro 2020, marking their first appearance in a final at the tournament and their first major final since 1966.