Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane was born on the 28th of July 1993 at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London. He grew up in Walthamstow before his family moved to Chingford. His father Patrick was born in Galway, giving Harry Irish ancestry through him. At age six in 1999, he joined a local club called Ridgeway Rovers. He played football from a young age and named Teddy Sheringham as his childhood idol. Sheringham was a great finisher who knew how to get into the box and score goals.
Kane first played for Arsenal's youth academy when he was eight years old. He was released after just one season because he was considered too chubby and not athletic enough. Liam Brady was then in charge of Arsenal's academy and made that decision. Manager Arsène Wenger later stated in November 2015 that he was disappointed Arsenal chose to release him. Kane had a trial at Tottenham Hotspur but was not initially successful. He returned to Ridgeway Rovers for a while.
In 2004, at age eleven, he joined Watford academy for a four to six week trial. He impressed playing for Watford against Tottenham and got another chance at Spurs. Initially he did not stand out as a player because he was neither big nor particularly quick. 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.
On the 7th of January 2011, Harry Kane moved to Leyton Orient on loan until the end of the 2010, 11 season. Manager Russell Slade said he was happy at his arrival. Kane made his first team debut for Orient on the 15th of January, coming on as a substitute for Scott McGleish in the 73rd minute of a 1, 1 draw away to Rochdale. A week later, Kane scored his first first team goal against Sheffield Wednesday. It was an unmarked goal from a Dean Cox free kick in the 57th minute as Orient eventually won 4, 0.
On the 12th of February, he scored twice in a 4, 1 win over Bristol Rovers. He ended the season scoring five goals in 18 matches. On the 29th of December 2011, Kane and Tottenham teammate Ryan Mason agreed to join Championship club Millwall on loan from the 1st of January 2012 until the end of the season. After making his debut against Bristol City, manager Kenny Jackett said he had a very good debut but was unlucky not to score.
Kane went on to score seven goals in the final 14 matches of the season. He scored nine goals in 27 matches which resulted in him being named Millwall's Young Player of the Year for 2011, 12. His run of goals scored towards the end of the season has been credited with helping to raise Millwall in the table away from the threat of relegation that season. On the 31st of August 2012, Kane joined Premier League team Norwich City on a season long loan. He suffered an injury breaking a metatarsal bone in the League Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers in only his second appearance.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino was appointed to replace Tim Sherwood and had a rocky start at the club. On the 2nd of November 2014, Kane came on as a second half substitute in Tottenham's 2, 1 win over Aston Villa and scored his first Premier League goal of the season to win the match in the 90th minute. Pochettino later said that this goal saved him from the sack. Henceforth under Pochettino, Kane became a regular in Spurs' starting line up.
Between 14 and the 26th of December, Kane scored in three consecutive 2, 1 wins for Tottenham, against Swansea City, Burnley and Leicester City. On the 5th of April, he captained Tottenham for the first time in a 0, 0 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor. Two weeks later, he scored his 30th goal of the season in a 3, 1 win against Newcastle United at St James Park. This made him the first Tottenham player to reach that milestone since Gary Lineker in 1991, 92.
On the 24th of May 2015, he headed in an Eric Dier cross for the only goal of an away win over Everton on the final day of the season to confirm fifth place for Tottenham. It was his 21st goal of the league campaign, equalling a Premier League club record alongside Teddy Sheringham, Jürgen Klinsmann and Gareth Bale. At the end of the season, Kane remarked that he had done more in the single campaign than he had expected to do in his whole career.
On the 23rd of December 2017, Kane equalled Alan Shearer's record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year. He had scored a hat trick in a 0, 3 away win to Burnley. He surpassed Shearer's record the following game with another hat trick in the 5, 2 home win against Southampton. This ended the year with 39 Premier League goals. The hat trick, his sixth of the year in the Premier League, also made him the first player in Premier League history to score six hat tricks in a year.
With a total of 56 goals scored in all competitions for the year, he became Europe's top goalscorer of 2017. This broke the seven year dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as Europe's top goalscorer in a calendar year. On the 4th of February, Kane scored an added time penalty to equalise in a 2, 2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield for his 100th Premier League goal. He achieved the century of league goals in 141 games, beaten only by Alan Shearer's 124.
In January 2018, he scored twice in the 4, 0 home win against Everton and became Tottenham's top goalscorer in the Premier League era. He broke Teddy Sheringham's record of 97 Premier League goals for the club.
On the 10th of August 2023, it was reported that Bayern Munich and Tottenham had agreed a deal in principle for Harry Kane which was worth more than €100 million. The fee was £86.4m. His departure was later confirmed by manager Ange Postecoglou via press conference. On the 12th of August, Kane posted a farewell video on Instagram thanking Tottenham staff and supporters for his time at the club. Bayern Munich announced the signing of Kane on a four year contract on the 12th of August.
Kane became the most expensive signing in Bundesliga history, costing €100m plus €10m bonuses in transfer fees. This surpassed the €80m transfer fee paid by Bayern Munich for Lucas Hernandez in 2019. He made his debut for Bayern on the same day he joined the club as a 64th minute substitute in a 3, 0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the 2023 DFL Supercup. He scored his first goal for the club on the opening day of the 2023, 24 Bundesliga season. It was also an assist for Leroy Sané's early opener as Bayern won 4, 0 away to Werder Bremen.
On the 19th of March 2015, Harry Kane was named by manager Roy Hodgson in the England squad to face Lithuania in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match. He made his international debut at Wembley Stadium replacing Wayne Rooney in the second half against Lithuania. He scored just 80 seconds later with a header from a Raheem Sterling cross. On the 10th of June 2017, Kane captained England for the first time in their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier with Scotland at Hampden Park. He scored an added time equaliser to rescue a 2, 2 draw.
Kane was named captain for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On the 18th of June, he scored both of England's goals in a 2, 1 win over Tunisia. In the next group game on the 24th of June, Kane scored a hat trick in England's 6, 1 win over Panama. This was England's largest ever World Cup victory. With his three goals against Panama, Kane became the third England player to score a hat trick in a World Cup match after Geoff Hurst and Gary Lineker. His six goals in the tournament earned him the Golden Boot as the top goalscorer of the World Cup.
Former Tottenham manager David Pleat described Harry Kane as an old fashioned traditional centre forward. Clive Allen who coached him at Tottenham stated that one thing you don't say about a lot of young footballers is that he had a passion for the game. He loves football and loves playing and loves scoring goals. His former Tottenham under 21 coach Les Ferdinand likened Kane's movement to their former forward Teddy Sheringham. The power and accuracy of his shots were compared to Alan Shearer.
In August 2018 ESPN reporter Michael Cox said that Kane was initially considered a pure goal scorer but he is actually a good all round player often playing as an attacking midfielder. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup Kane's contributions in deeper positions were outstanding. Indeed although Kane is predominantly known for his clinical finishing and prolific goalscoring ability as an out and out striker, he is also known for his vision technique link up play and passing ability. This enables him to drop deep bring his teammates into play and create chances for other players. In 2022 Sam McGuire of Opta Sports identified him as the most creative number 9 in the world.
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Common questions
When and where was Harry Kane born?
Harry Edward Kane was born on the 28th of July 1993 at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London.
Which youth clubs did Harry Kane play for before joining Tottenham Hotspur?
Harry Kane played for Ridgeway Rovers from age six and joined Arsenal's youth academy at eight years old. He later had a trial at Watford academy in 2004 before returning to Spurs.
What major goal scoring records did Harry Kane break during his time with Tottenham Hotspur?
Harry Kane became Tottenham's top goalscorer in the Premier League era by breaking Teddy Sheringham's record of 97 goals. He also became the first player in Premier League history to score six hat tricks in a single year.
How many goals did Harry Kane score in the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament?
Harry Kane scored six goals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament which earned him the Golden Boot as the top goalscorer of the competition.
Why did Harry Kane leave Tottenham Hotspur in August 2023?
Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur after Bayern Munich agreed on a deal worth more than €100 million for his transfer. The fee was confirmed as £86.4m plus bonuses making him the most expensive signing in Bundesliga history.