Harry Kane has gone on to become, arguably the greatest English player of all time, matching the likes of ‘Wazza” Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer.
He has been the crown jewel of the three lions, making his debut in 2015, in a EURO qualifiers game against Lithuania, where he scored a goal just 80 seconds after appearing on the field.
He is arguably Tottenham Hotspur’s greatest player of all time, becoming their record top scorer in his 13 years of service at the club. In 2023, the striker has managed a move to Bavarian giants, Bayern Munich, hunting his first ever career trophy.
But none of this would have been possible without the guidance of his parents and he would have never reached the stage he is at now had it not been for his parents.
Harry Kane was born in Walthamstow, London to Patrick and Kim Kane, in the year 1993. Harry began his youth club career, aged six in 1999 while playing for local club Ridgeway Rovers, from where he was instilled in Arsenal’s academy system but released after one season for being too “chubby” and “unathletic”.
He then joined Watford’s academy, subsequently receiving a trial at Tottenham, wherein he managed to improve and impress a lot.
Speaking on The Overlap, Harry Kane has spoken openly about his release from Arsenal as a child and what his dad told him after he was let go.
It’s insane to think that the Tottenham legend was once on Arsenal’s books, but as a child Kane was indeed at Arsenal’s academy.
Somehow, the coaches at Arsenal didn’t see enough in Kane and he was let go at the age of nine. Luckily, Kane had the guidance from his family that has now led him to become the captain of England.
My Dad, his mindset and mentality, I’ve learnt a lot from. He wasn’t hard with me, he never put pressure on me, he would stand there quietly and watch me play, he wasn’t one that would shout and scream. If he felt I could improve on something there’d be no excuses.
Gary Neville then asked Kane about that mentality, to which he replied:
Absolutely, I was released, I played for Arsenal when I was six until I was nine. I was released from Arsenal and a lot of dads might make excuses, but I remember the conversation, my dad told me, ‘No worries, we’ll just work harder, we’ll go back to playing Sunday league and we’ll get another opportunity’. It was all positive, there was no pressure, and it was never like it was my fault or anything like that.
However, Harry’s physical attributes such as his innate ability to always remain fit and keen eye for goal has been generational. Are genes the reason behind Kane’s illustrious career and accolades? Possibly.
His Maternal grandfather, Eric Edward Hogg, was quite the player in his day. Hogg played at a semi-pro level for Blundell Rovers in the 1960s and later for Brentwood and Warley (Brentwood Town F.C. today). Harry was quite young when Eric passed away, however he has acknowledged is family’s footballing background, saying:
” 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.”
Eric and his five brothers were passionate about the game of football. This topic has actually generated a lot of discussion in the Kane household because Harry’s father holds the opinion that his talent comes from his paternal side, who was a professional football coach.
Patrick Kane, Harry’s father, has played a significant role in his path. Irishman Patrick, who was born and raised in Galway, eventually moved to London. Patrick had a difficult time getting there from Galway. He started a new chapter in life, leaving his friends and family behind in quest of greater prospects.
It just goes to show how the Kane’s are as a family and Harry has seconded that by saying:
I owe a lot to my family, we’re a strong unit.
As Harry pursued his dreams, Kim was his biggest cheerleader. She attended every game, recital, and performance, offering words of encouragement and celebrating his accomplishments, despite herself being a working mother as she was a nurse by profession.
Kane’s family has always acted as a rock for him whether it be during the turbulent times, when he spent time at loan spells from Tottenham to teams like Norwich City and Leyton Orient or whether he was climbing up the ranks of Spurs, cementing his place as their lead talisman and playing his first major tournament for England in Euros 2016.
He was quoted in the same year, in an interview explaining how his family helped him deal with sudden fame and kept him grounded, allowing him to refrain himself from distractions.
“ have a great family, they keep me level-headed and they keep me grounded and they’ve worked just as hard as me to get me where I am. Family are very crucial.
It’s really important that you have that close family and friends who you can talk to when things aren’t going well, or when you’re enjoying the moment when things are going well. I see it as a team game where we’re all in it together and we enjoy the highs, but we have all the lows together as well.
Kane recently made a major career switch moving to a country where he doesn’t even speak the language, we are indeed referring about his from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich in Germany. Even in his first press appearance or interview he mentioned how much his family means to him and how the fans and the club did a great job with making his family feel at home.
Kane revealed that the Bayern team had been given a day off on Monday and that he was planning to spend time with his family before they leave Germany.
We have the day off Monday. I’ll spend time with the family and look at a few areas, go for coffee or dinner and meet some of the fans.’
‘It’s been an incredible experience so far for me and the family. Everybody at Bayern has been very welcoming.
The values instilled into Harry by a young age from his parents Kim and Patrick are clearly reflected in his actions and his word, how he always puts family first and realizes they are the ones who have stuck by him all his life and how his every decision can have a major impact on them, which is why he does anything and everything accordingly.