Why Euro 2024 means more to Harry Kane – England’s most unique soldier

Just hours after Harry Kane knew he would end another club season without a trophy, Bayern Munich let him and the rest of the squad attend a banquet. It was not what most would have chosen after the bitter Champions League semi-final exit against Real Madrid, but it is a habit for the German club.

It wasn’t the only new thing Kane had to endure. While he has clearly experienced trophy disappointment on many occasions, never has success been so expected. Kane had made the difficult choice to leave Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern, but suddenly discovered that success did not come easy for the eternal German champions. It did affect him. The striker still recorded this most painful season – as he himself put it – as he always does. He internalized it and persevered. That is why the banquet suited him more than most. It helped him “get on with it,” as he always does.

This is Kane’s admirably persistent attitude through every major disappointment of his career: the 2015/16 struggle at Stamford Bridge, the 2018 World Cup miss against Croatia, the 2019 Champions League final, the heartbreak of the 2020 Euros That penalty miss against France in Qatar.

That’s why Euro 2024 resonates more for Kane than any other England player, for reasons that go beyond the simple fact that he’s the only member of the squad to have Kyle Walker and John Stones in every Gareth Southgate tournament bar played. The Manchester City duo have won a lot in their careers, while Kane is instead labeled a ‘loser’, as well as all kinds of other dismissals of him. That’s part of the broader significance of this tournament.

Consequently, a medal at Euro 2024 would mean far more to Kane than anyone else, especially in a country where he has only deepened his legacy as one of football’s great strikers, if not one of its great champions. A first season in Germany has produced 49 goals for club and country. A victory in Berlin on July 14 would not really be a homecoming, but rather a homecoming.

Kane now has a laser focus on exactly that outcome, which has affected some younger English players. Adam Wharton, who also wants Bayern Munich, has sought his counsel. That attitude of perseverance, of just getting on with it, is why Kane has performed so consistently at the same level, regardless of what is happening around him or personal disappointments. Kane has not dropped below 24 goals in a season since first breaking through for Spurs in 2014. That’s a whole decade at a ratio of 0.7 goals per game: 382 in 545. Teammates describe it as “almost robotic”. It is astonishing.

In the same way that Kane doesn’t let a single miss in one game affect the next opportunity, he also doesn’t let a single setback affect the next campaign. Some in football describe this as the necessary ‘delusion’ of the striker. Kane’s great predecessors at England – Alan Shearer and Michael Owen – would have it in abundance. It was their astonishing confidence that they would seize the next opportunity. They could miss five, but that wouldn’t stifle them.

There’s obviously some of that with Kane, but it feels a little different and deeper. After all, he does not have an abrasive or arrogant character. He is assertive but courteous, almost sedate.

There’s almost a dutiful quality, like a soldier instead of a robot. That is perhaps why Kane excelled when Southgate put the squad through maritime training in 2017 to test their leadership skills. The striker stood out.

It all means that he also stands out in these euros. For all the new generation of English talent, Kane offers something truly distinctive and perhaps old-fashioned – which may even soon be consigned to history. He guarantees goals. Kane is one of only five players selected for this summer’s squad to have scored more than 50 goals for his country.

That’s ironic considering Kane was previously talked about as a player bringing back the No. 9 role. Instead, the tactical evolution of the game has left a gap in the production line. Although this does not mean that the current young generation is can not are developing into finishers in the same way, Kane is one of the few players at this European Championship with a record that creates an aura. That’s why the striker remains Southgate’s most important player. There is still a heavy reliance on Kane for goals.

Players at Euro 2024 with more than 30 international goals

These figures result almost exclusively from intelligent movements and exceptionally precise workmanship. Kane’s innate instinct for goals has been honed so that it is fully maximised. That is illustrated by the way he still approaches the finish with a mentality that former Tottenham striker Clive Allen taught him early in his career. That’s shooting fast, catching goalkeepers. Kane trained on this until it was seamless. It’s certainly rare to see him struggle to get his feet right.

His technique may not be unparalleled, in the manner of the supernaturally gifted, but it is flawless. It has also evolved. One of the key factors with Kane is that he is not just a number 9 for England, but a number 10. Over the last three seasons he has become both a creator and a finisher, with his assist numbers exploding.

There was a feeling within the team that this would have been possible if a little recalibration had been done after the 2022 World Cup. It wasn’t entirely Kane’s fault, but he almost became too central to the game, slowing down the team. That was partly because England suddenly had so many players who could operate in that area.

There may be even more now, with Jude Bellingham emerging, meaning he’s someone else who can fill that gap, just like Phil Foden.

Only Southgate has very suddenly decided to change the dynamics of the entire attack. Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and – albeit less importantly – James Maddison and Jadon Sancho will not be there, nor will previous partners such as Dele Alli. There is now a rare mystery surrounding how exactly Southgate is gearing up for England’s first match against Serbia on Sunday.

However, there is no doubt about Kane. He has been the one constant through it all, along with his goals. They come from a mentality where he immediately attributes every miss and every disappointment to history. He just gets on with it.

Euro 2024 obviously won’t be Kane’s last chance to win a major trophy. But it may be the opportunity that means the most. Kane could use a different finish for once.