Some time ago, when Harry Kane was eight years old, he took a routine walk to the local park in his hometown of Chingford (a suburb in north-east London) with his dad and brother to play football.
“No goals. No proper pitch. Just give us some grass and two trees and we were happy,” Kane remembered back in 2018 in an essay for the Players’ Tribune.
It was on this day in the park when he received some disappointing news.
“Arsenal have released you,” said his father.
At the time, a young Kane had been part of Arsenal’s youth team, which was a very dangerous thing to do in a family full of Tottenham Hotspur supporters who lived 20 minutes from White Hart Lane. But alas, a boy had to start somewhere.
Arsenal, however, decided to let go of him and per Liam Brady, a club icon and then-academy director, the Gunners decided Kane sadly was not athletic enough and perhaps “a bit chubby.”
Harry Kane winning the Ballon ‘d Or award. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
After hearing this news, his father, however, didn’t show disappointment nor frustration. He didn’t get on the phone to complain or criticize Brady or make a statement to condemn Arsenal. He simply looked at his son, put his arm around him and said,
“Don’t worry, Harry. We’ll work harder — and we’ll go on and we’ll find another club, alright?”
That sentiment stayed with Harry Kane and quite simply, it exemplified what he is all about: a silent crafter who piece by piece, step by step, worked incredibly hard on his objectives to become the world’s best.
After Arsenal’s rejection, Kane returned to his local team Ridgeway Rovers before a scout eventually recruited him for Watford. It was in a game against Tottenham where he eventually ended up with Spurs. But even after joining, he still had to prove his worth. He went on loan across the English pyramid throughout his young career and even when he graduated to the first team, he was still third choice striker. Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival in 2014 was a sparkling opportunity but Kane still had to prove his worth as that season, the Argentinian manager opted for Emanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado.
Harry Kane
By the numbers
543Career goals
Goals by team
Tottenham435 games · 2011-23
280
Bayern Munich158 games · 2023-present
156
England125 caps · 2015-present
91
16
- Millwall2012 · 27 games
9
- Leyton Orient2011 · 18 games
5
- Leicester City2013 · 15 games
2
- Norwich City2012-13 · 5 games
0
Kane’s journey, therefore, has been a perfect example of perseverance and how his incredible career, which has made him into England’s all-time scorer and now a Ballon d’Or winner, reminds me of Albert Einstein’s quote,It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.
Harry Kane’s genius on the football pitch is not a result of immediate, natural, god-given talent that was born from the first day he saw a ball. There isn’t a prodigious sword that blessed him with mesmerizing skills at a young age — such as Lamine Yamal or Kylian Mbappé. Kane is also not a boisterous character nor does he care too much about extravagance. In this day and age of self-promotion and marketing aggression, Kane is the antidote.
I INTERVIEWED HIS Bayern Munich teammate Luis Díaz back in January and the conversation was meant to be mainly about the Colombian star ahead of the World Cup. But in one question, I asked him about Kane and what it was like to train with him every day.
“I don’t even have words,” said Díaz, who actually continued to express the dedicated genius of his teammate and how in training, he does things that we wouldn’t even believe.
Harry Kane has found success at Bayern Munich. (Photo by Christina Pahnke – sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)
But I do believe it because this is a testament of Kane’s work ethic and his obsession to be better than yesterday.
“Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise,” he posted after winning on Monday night. And that’s his career. A series of silent, dedicated tasks where every day is an opportunity to improve and what we now see in front of us is the most complete striker of his generation–perhaps ever.
Harry Kane will forever be a Tottenham legend. (Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
That’s why I am so happy for his Ballon d’Or success, thanks to a remarkable 2025-2026 campaign where he scored an individual record of 73 goals for club and country, helped Bayern Munich win a domestic treble and led England to its best ever finish at the World Cup since 1966. He became the first English men’s player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001 and the first Londoner to do so. The fact that it happened in his home city is that much sweeter. For Kane, a major inspiration to become a striker was Ronaldo Nazario and it was the Brazilian legend who gave him the award.
Harry Kane, the boy who got rejected for not being athletic enough, is now a Ballon d’Or winner. If that’s not a lesson on grit, endurance and a will to keep going—then I don’t know what is.
Harry. Kane is England’s all-time leading goalscorer. (Photo by Calvin Hernandez/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
AS FOR THE future? Kylian Mbappé remains in the hunt for the trophy and at 27 years old, there is still time. But the objectives for the French superstar and Real Madrid have now become more aggressive this season. Mbappé, a goalscorer of pure talent, has not yet won a Champions League nor La Liga—and he knows that’s a hurdle to be severely overcome.
Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé will be on Ballon d’Or shortlists for years to come. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
Lamine Yamal? At 19, there is a whole lifetime for him to win a Ballon d’Or and there is very little doubt in my mind that one day, he won’t be on the stage to receive it. Yamal is a prodigious talent with a World Cup, European championship, La Liga titles to his name. The question is not if—but when.
I do wonder what Erling Haaland’s future looks like too, especially during Man City’s current situation. And let’s not forget, there is another Englishman who can help the Three Lions reach the promised land. Jude Bellingham continues to be a player that can change a game in a heartbeat.
But for now, the award and the highlighted accolades belong to Harry Kane—England’s greatest, Bayern Munich royalty and a Ballon d’Or winner.