England captain Harry Kane believes he can play until he is nearly 40 years old and has pledged never to retire from international football. The English striker turned 30 in July before joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur. The Bayern Munich striker has returned to England after reporting for duty ahead of the friendly against Australia on Friday and the Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy next week. Kane is at the pinnacle of his abilities, having scored nine goals and given five assists in ten competitive games in Germany since leaving Tottenham in August.
Despite turning 30 this year, Kane has no plans to leave international football and believes he will never do so. Kane responded, ‘Probably not,’ when asked if he would ever withdraw from international competition. I’ve always been so pleased to play for England that retirement would be difficult to contemplate. I am someone who will constantly want to push and test the boundaries. I’ll probably keep going until I’m no longer chosen, at which point I’ll accept it and go on. I’m having a great experience playing for England and don’t want it to end any time soon, Kane expressed.
Kane takes excellent care of himself away from the pitch. He has used physiotherapists and dietitians to try to extend his career as much as feasible. The notion is that you hit 30 and people start to think it’s the end, said the English player. But, in my opinion, the second half of my career is almost upon me. I was in the first team at Spurs from the age of 20 or 21, so I’ve had nine or ten years at the highest level. I’m looking for another eight or nine years at the top, he added.
You see some players who want to have a different challenge so I would never be able to tell you what I will do but at the moment, I just want to keep playing. With sports science and the way, the game has adapted, it has allowed players to play for longer. It’s possible to play until your late 30s and that is what I am planning to do, Kane admitted.
When you look at a lot of the top players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic they have almost got better as they hit 30. Everything is maybe settled in your personal life. You’ve got family, kids. You are comfortable with your body, mentally, and that just allows you to focus on the football, Kane concluded.
