England captain Harry Kane has admitted that he often feels “taken for granted” and believes people have grown “bored” of his consistent goalscoring achievements.
At 31 years old, Kane holds the record as England’s all-time leading scorer and is set to increase his tally of 69 international goals in Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Albania. The match, scheduled for 19:45 GMT at Wembley, will also mark the debut of new head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Despite his remarkable goal tally for the national team, Kane has faced criticism from sections of the German media regarding his performances for Bayern Munich. However, his statistics speak volumes—he has netted an astonishing 76 goals in just 82 appearances for the Bundesliga giants.
Reflecting on the high expectations surrounding elite players, Kane drew a comparison to football legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
“It’s like when [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi were throwing these crazy numbers out there and the next season they’d score 40 goals instead of 50. It was like they were having a bad season,” Kane said.
“People take it for granted and maybe a little bit with England as well. I’ve scored 69 goals and when you score against Albania or Latvia, or these teams, people just expect it so it’s not spoken about so much.
“If I was 25 now and doing what I’m doing, the excitement around me would maybe be a little bit different to what it is now. That’s part of where we are with football. I’ve seen it with some other players as they get into their 30s.
“Maybe people just get a little bit bored of what you do, but I’m certainly not bored. I’m excited for these games and the games ahead.”
This season, the former Tottenham striker has continued his prolific form, registering 21 goals in 24 Bundesliga matches. His contributions have been instrumental in helping Bayern establish a six-point lead at the top of the table.
In addition to their domestic dominance, Bayern are also preparing for a high-stakes Champions League quarter-final clash against Inter Milan. Yet, despite his crucial role, Kane’s impact in Germany has occasionally been questioned.
“It’s hard,” Kane admitted. “Sometimes it motivates me. Sometimes, to be honest I try to stay away from it as much as I can.”
“Probably, when I was young I listened to more than what I do now. Ultimately, I criticise myself more than anyone could do on the outside but… always use it as fuel to prove people wrong.
“In today’s game, I feel like there’s such a difference between a high and a low. You go from not scoring for a couple of games, to people saying he’s not sharp enough… to scoring and you’re a Ballon d’Or contender and it’s like, the difference is too high and too low.
“I know what I’ve done in my career and I feel like I have a lot of respect from a lot of football people out there and I’ve achieved a lot in my career.”
Historically, only one English player—Michael Owen in 2001—has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.
However, Kane believes that his move to Bayern Munich in 2023 has significantly boosted his chances of claiming football’s most coveted individual prize.
“Just being at a club like Bayern Munich has helped push me on even more, confidence-wise and responsibility-wise,” Kane said.
“I feel like I’ve definitely got better, I’ve improved, and maybe the ‘aura’ of me as a player is a bit more respected than what it has been in the past, because you’re playing in big games, big nights.
“I felt that last season as well, I scored over 40 goals, but obviously, I was never going to win the Ballon d’Or because we didn’t win the team trophies.
“Those opportunities are there. That’s probably what I mean in terms of being respected more worldwide, on the bigger stage.
“For something like that, you have to win enough team trophies to be considered in that and probably score 40-odd goals, but that is a possibility this season. That is definitely something I would love to try to achieve.”
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