Cristiano Ronaldo ‘inspires’ Harry Kane to play for as long as possible
London: Harry Kane is set to become the tenth player to earn a landmark 100 caps for England men when he captains the Three Lions against Finland at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday night. Ahead of his 100th appearance for England, Kane has spoken about how watching Cristiano Ronaldo has inspired him to play as long as possible.
“I feel in really good shape, both physically and mentally, at a peak in my career. Watching other players, (Cristiano) Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal, seeing him compete at 39 inspires me to play for as long as possible,” said Kane at a pre-match press conference.
“I love this game, I love representing England – more than anything and I don’t want it to end any time soon. For me, personally, now it’s about continuing to improve and being consistent both in an England shirt and at club level. I’m hungry for more. I’m determined to keep pushing the boundaries,” he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo created history once again as he solidified his status as the all-time top scorer in football as the six-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his 900th and 901st career goals in the two UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Kane, who is England men’s all-time top scorer with 66 goals in 99 internationals, made his debut in a 4-0 defeat of Lithuania on March 27, 2015, scoring just 79 seconds after coming on as a second-half substitute.
The Bayern Munich forward has made 86 starts for his country and has captained 72 times. Finland will be the 45th different opponent he has faced during his England senior career.
Kane took the time to reflect on the special occasion and claimed he will definitely look back to this moment after he retires.
“It is really special. I always say it is sometimes hard to sink in when you are playing. I spoke previously about that with the goalscoring record, but this one I am extremely proud of. It is something I am really excited for, my family will be there to enjoy the moment as well and it is a moment I am sure when I am retired I will look back on,” said Kane.