Harry Kane spent the 2011/12 season on loan at English Championship side Millwall F.C., a club known more for its associations with hooliganism and their supporter’s chant “No one likes us, we don’t care” than as the home of future England internationals.
Under the watchful eye of England’s then U-21 manager, Stuart Pearce, an 18-year-old Kane failed to impress.
“It was tough for him,” Pearce revealed. “He never had that turn of pace and he hadn’t matured as a man either.”
However, the quiet, unassuming boy from the London suburb of Chingford diligently worked on his game while with Millwall. A return of 9 goals in 27 appearances hardly set the division alight, but he helped the Tigers retain their Championship status and avoid relegation.
A loan move to Leicester City the following season hardly served as a forecaster to his future success. Kane managed only 2 goals in 13 appearances for the Foxes. His time with Leicester is, in hindsight, most famously remembered now for yielding a photo featuring both Kane and Jamie Vardy on the bench for a Championship play-off match.
Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy on Leicester City's bench. Photo: @SpheraSports | Twitter
His return to Tottenham for the entirety of the 2013/14 Premier League season pointed towards a role as a bit part player for Spurs moving forward. He scored three goals while big money signings Roberto Soldado, Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela were expected to provide the flair, skill and goals.
The 2014/15 season served as a massive breakthrough for Kane. The player who looked more like a sales agent than a Premier League footballer scored 31 goals in all competitions, creating a media frenzy while he himself displayed a stoic calm that hasn’t deserted him since.
All the hype surrounding his incredible year disregarded the amount of work he’d put in to achieve such results. Pundits and former players questioned his ability to repeat the heroics for the following season. Was he simply a one-season wonder?
“If there is one thing that makes me hesitate then it is the lack of pace that I think might hold him back. . . I wonder if he has that extra yard,” said Paul Scholes. “It is not something you can introduce to your game.”
After only one goal in his first 13 appearances this season, headlines were written regarding an end to the fairytale; Kane wouldn’t be able to reach the heights of his previous season.
Now at the end of the 2015/16 season, Kane has once again silenced his critics. 25 league goals with Tottenham have seen him beat out Jamie Vardy, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku to the golden boot award.
“Even early on this season when I hadn’t scored for a few games I was getting some criticism, so to then go on and win the Golden Boot shows I’ve had a great season,” said Kane. “It’s very pleasing for me to be able to answer those critics, but anyway I just concentrate on my own game.”
Speaking with Forever Sports magazine, Kane detailed the grueling training methods behind his rise.
“I still do double sessions now. I did a lot of work in the gym to get a bit faster: that was one part of my game I felt I needed to work on,” says Kane. “A bit more pace and a bit more power. My finishing, too. I always back myself as a finisher, but I always practice it as well. Every type of finish: left foot, right foot, headers, penalties, free kicks.”
Now, Kane is preparing for his first major international tournament with England.
“I think we can win it,” says Kane. “If we want to win things, we need our best players in top form. And that’s definitely something we’ve got at the moment.”
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