Harry Kane insists he was unaffected by his goalless start to Euro 2020 as he aims to continue his scoring streak in Wednesday’s semi-final against Denmark.
The Three Lions skipper drew a blank in the first four games and was questioned in some quarters before returning to form.
He struck the second goal in the last-16 win over Germany before scoring a brace in the 4-0 quarter-final victory against Ukraine on Saturday night.
The win in Rome has set up a last-four clash with Denmark at Wembley, where a goal for Kane would see him draw level on 10 with Gary Lineker as England’s leading goalscorer in major tournaments.
What a feeling. Rome to Wembley. Let’s go ! 🏴🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/SaYUxwiYd7— Harry Kane (@HKane) July 3, 2021
Despite the criticism aimed at him following a slow start to the finals, Kane revealed his self-belief never wavered.
“I have kind of had to do that my whole career since I was a kid,” he said when asked about proving his doubters wrong.
“I’ve had to prove people wrong to get to where I am now. I have full belief in who I am as a player and what I can do on the pitch, what I do to help the team.
“It’s not so much about proving other people wrong. It’s about proving to myself again that I am as good as I can be, I can score at any level, I’ve done it at any stage.
“When you go three or four games without scoring, you want to score and put that to bed and at a major tournament it gets heightened even more but the fact that I have so much self-belief in myself and my team, I don’t really let that stuff affect me.
“Of course when you score in a big game, it is natural the emotions come out and you feel free and a lot of people then say it kick-starts you to score a couple in the quarter-final.
“Whether I score or don’t score I always feel I am ready for the next opportunity. It’s great that I am scoring now and obviously a big semi-final to come but I’ll be the same player if I scored or didn’t score.”
Kane could become just the second England skipper to lead the nation into a major final – if they can beat Denmark on Wednesday.
- Gary Lineker - 10
- Harry Kane - 9
- Alan Shearer - 9
- Wayne Rooney - 7
While he understands the weight of such an achievement, the Tottenham striker is not getting ahead of himself.
“The next game is always the toughest game,” he told BBC Radio 5Live.
“We did great against Germany and got a great result – but the next toughest game was Ukraine and we did well in that game.
“So now the next hardest game is Denmark. We are playing for the chance to play in a European Championship final and Denmark have been on a great run since the first couple of games.
“We’ll probably go into this game as favourites but it won’t be an easy game for sure. We know what Denmark are and what they can bring.
“I try not to let my mind get too far ahead. But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it (winning the Euros) but the whole playing for England and captaining England is a dream.
“As a kid growing up you have a vision of what you want to do and what you dream about and this is it – playing for your country and captaining your country at a major tournament, having games at Wembley, scoring goals and winning games.”
