England skipper Harry Kane fully intends to take a leaf out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s book to extend his career as far as he can.
The 31-year-old Bayern Munich striker endured a difficult Euro 2024 campaign as Gareth Southgate’s side made it to a second successive final, but once again came away empty-handed.
On Thursday evening, Portugal superstar Ronaldo scored the 900th goal of his career in a Nations League victory over Croatia – his 213th appearance for his country – to further illustrate his enduring potency, and Kane has taken that message to heart.
He said: “Cristiano is the benchmark, not only being one of the best footballers ever to play, but also the benchmark of how long you can play for at a higher level.
“I think sometimes in football and maybe in sport in general, there’s a perception that when you get to your thirties it’s time to start slowing down, playing fewer games and not playing to the high level.
“But like I’ve touched on before, the Ronaldos, the (Lionel) Messis, the (Karim) Benzemas, (Robert) Lewandowskis, all these guys who have had incredible careers in their thirties and almost upped their level as they got into mid-thirties and really reaching their peak.
“Cristiano is just showing that every week, every time he plays, every time he scores, so from my point of view, that’s the aim; I want to play as long as possible for England, and I want to play as long as possible in football and it’s great to see other athletes doing it in front of me. It shows that it’s possible, and it’s just about how you feel yourself.
“I feel in a really good place, both physically and mentally and whatever noise there is around – I’m sure there will be noise around me, like there was around Cristiano, and still is around Cristiano – but as long as you keep performing and keep doing what you know you can, that’s all you can do.”
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