Kane seeks to emulate Bobby Moore with major England win
Harry Kane is extra motivated by the chance to emulate the great Bobby Moore as England prepare for Sunday’s European Championship Final.
The Three Lions take on Italy on home soil in front of 60,000 fans at Wembley Stadium looking to secure a first major tournament triumph since the 1966 World Cup.
To date that is the sole tournament success for one of international football’s most chronic underachievers, with Moore still the only captain ever to hoist a trophy aloft for England.
But current skipper Kane is relishing the opportunity to potentially match those famous exploits this weekend and finally end 55 years of hurt.
“Whenever your name is mentioned in the same company as players like that, it only gives you motivation, gives you confidence,” Kane said on Friday.
“Of course it would be an incredible achievement. We’ve all waited so long as players, as public, as people to see us in a final. So these are the opportunities you have to grab with both hands.
“We have an amazing chance to win our second major trophy as a country. The players we’ve had over the years and produced, we feel proud to be representing them as well.
“We’ve got to be excited for it, we’ve got to enjoy it, but of course, any football match, we’re all winners here, we all want to win, and we’re going to need every bit of that to get the job done on Sunday.”
Kane admitted that he has dreamed of lifting that European Championship trophy aloft at Wembley following the World Cup semi-final heartache suffered in Russia three years ago and believes the current squad under Gareth Southgate possess the belief and mentality necessary to get over the final hurdle.
“I think for sure as players you think of that moment, you dream of that moment,” he said.
“Obviously we’re all grounded enough to know we have a very tough game on our hands on Sunday. But there’s a good belief in this team.
“We came close a few years ago, so to bounce back in this tournament and go one step further has been a great sign, a great mentality that we’ve created. But of course, we all want to win.
“You dream of these moments as a kid, lifting trophies for your country, and we have that opportunity now.”
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On the meeting with a formidable Italy side that are unbeaten in 33 matches and stormed to the top of Group A before knockout wins over Austria, Belgium and Spain, Kane added: “It’s a real 50-50 game I think.
“From our point of view we have full belief in what we have been doing and how we have been setting up, and of course we believe we can win the game. But we also know it will be very tough. They’ve got some great players, some great experience.
“In any final, in any big game, you have to be on it on all aspects. We know that’s the case on Sunday and hopefully we can swing it in our favour.”