Tottenham star Harry Kane measures his life in goals... you can’t mock him for Christian Eriksen quibble

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James Olley12 April 2018

Harry Kane was so driven by scoring goals in his formative years that he would ask coaches to stay behind for as many post-training shooting competitions as it took until he won one.

This relentless drive has been the foundation of his success for Tottenham and England. It is a mentality which Spurs are looking to encourage and reward by backing the 24-year-old’s successful appeal to the Premier League to award him Christian Eriksen’s second goal at Stoke last weekend on appeal.

Some have called it desperate. Yet challenging the Eriksen decision is nothing compared to the childish outburst for which Didier Drogba later apologised when reacting petulantly to being refused the chance to take a final-day penalty as he chased the Golden Boot and Chelsea went for the title on the final day of the 2009-10 season.

Others label it a needless slight on Eriksen’s own personal targets. There may well be a quibble over who gets the goal bonus should Kane prove successful but this isn’t about money.

Photo: PA
PA

Kane’s pursuit of greatness has led him to become one of the world’s top strikers and Spurs should do everything to encourage that. If there is a frustration at Tottenham’s inability to translate their progress into silverware, why add to it by opting against supporting your best striker in his quest to win the Golden Boot? Kane measures his life in goals. There are a pair of boots on display at Tottenham’s training base commemorating his 100th Premier League goal with ‘Keep it Kane’ emblazoning the insole.

Supporters of other leading clubs mock this as the closest thing to a trophy Spurs can showcase these days but Kane values such milestones.

It led him to the only regrettable act in his efforts to have Eriksen’s goal re-assigned when declaring “I swear on my daughter’s life that I touched the ball but there’s nothing I can do”. That remark may well have earned him a disapproving look from his fiancee Kate Goodland but she’ll know better than the rest of us how myopic he can be.

After all, Kane reflected on 2017 with an Instagram post in early January featuring a picture of his Golden Boot award and eight hat-trick balls captioned: “2017 has been good to me, bring on 2018!”

Kate was quick to note what he’d missed. “First child? Engagement?” she asked in a comment that was deleted, not before he replied: “Of course they were great as well babe.”

In Pictures | Harry Kane's Premier League goals 2016/17

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His is an attitude to be lauded. How often is an English sportsperson criticised for lacking a winning mentality? It was noted in a previous column that Kane stayed behind to watch Cristiano Ronaldo pose for photographs and sign autographs after winning Fifa’s Best Men’s Player award in London last October while other dignitaries streamed towards the exits; he is determined to join the game’s highest echelons and becoming the first player since Thierry Henry to win the League’s Golden Boot in three successive seasons would be another notable step forward.

Alan Shearer’s all-time League record of 260 is on Kane’s radar. Each goal matters on the path to greatness both individually and collectively. More power to him.

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