ENGLAND CAPTAIN HARRY KANE HAS PRAISED CRISTIANO RONALDO AND LIONEL MESSI AS HE PREPS FOR HIS 100TH APPEARANCE WITH THE THREE LIONS AGAINST FINLAND ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10.
WHAT KANE SAID ABOUT RONALDO AND MESSI
THE THREE LIONS’ ALL-TIME LEADING GOALSCORER (66 GOALS) IS SET TO BECOME THE TENTH PLAYER IN ENGLAND’S HISTORY TO EARN 100 CAPS. THE 31-YEAR-OLD BAYERN MUNICH STRIKER EXPRESSED HIS ADMIRATION FOR RONALDO, WHO RECENTLY SCORED HIS 901ST SENIOR CAREER GOAL IN PORTUGAL’S VICTORY OVER SCOTLAND.
“I LOVED WATCHING RONALDO SCORE HIS 901ST GOAL YESTERDAY AND SEEING HIM COMPETE AT 39 YEARS OLD,” SAID KANE ON MONDAY. “IT JUST INSPIRES ME TO PLAY FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.”
KANE, WHO HAS SCORED 419 GOALS FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY, ACCORDING TO TRANSFERMARKT, BELIEVES THE PORTUGUESE SUPERSTAR’S CONTINUED SUCCESS AT THE AGE OF 39 SERVES AS INSPIRATION FOR HIM TO EXTEND HIS PLAYING CAREER, EMPHASIZING HIS LOVE FOR THE GAME AND HIS DETERMINATION TO REPRESENT ENGLAND FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
“I LOVE THIS GAME. I LOVE REPRESENTING ENGLAND MORE THAN ANYTHING AND I DON’T WANT IT TO END ANY TIME SOON,” CONTINUED THE ENGLAND CAPTAIN.
FURTHERMORE, THE BAYERN STRIKER RESERVED SPECIAL PRAISE FOR RONALDO AND MESSI’S EXPLOITS IN THE GAME, HIGHLIGHTING HOW THEY INSPIRED HIM.
“BOTH HE AND MESSI WERE PEOPLE I LOOKED UP TO GROWING UP,” HE SAID.
“THEY WERE IN THEIR PRIME AS I WAS COMING INTO MY TEENAGE YEARS, PROBABLY WHEN I WAS COMING INTO FOOTBALL, WHERE I REALLY WANTED TO IMPROVE AND GET BETTER, NOT JUST WHERE I LOVE FOOTBALL WHERE I HAD TO BE, WHERE CAN I IMPROVE?
“BOTH OF THEM WERE INSPIRATIONS TO ME, TO HAVE THAT HUNGER AND DESIRE AND THAT DETERMINATION, ALMOST A SENSE TO KEEP PROVING PEOPLE WRONG AND PROVING TO YOURSELF THAT YOU CAN BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE.
“TO SCORE OVER 900 GOALS IN YOUR CAREER IS SOMETHING, AN EXCEPTIONAL RECORD, AND TO PLAY UNTIL YOU ARE 38 IS REALLY INSPIRING. I THINK THAT JUST HELPS ME AND MOTIVATES ME TO KNOW THAT I’VE GOT MANY MORE YEARS AHEAD AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.”
WHAT COMES NEXT?
ENGLAND AIMS TO MAINTAIN THEIR UNBEATEN STREAK UNDER INTERIM COACH LEE CARSLEY AS THEY HOST FINLAND AT WEMBLEY.