How Harry Kane Almost Became a Goalkeeper
Before Harry Kane became England’s all-time leading scorer, he nearly took a very different path — and it involved standing between the posts rather than putting the ball in them.
According to a feature published by The Guardian, on Kane’s very first day at Ridgeway Rovers, coach Dave Bricknell asked if anyone wanted to go in goal. A six-year-old Kane raised his hand. Bricknell was reportedly impressed, saying: “I thought I’d found a goalkeeper.” Kane even trained with Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach during his time at the club, before parents nudged coaches back towards playing him outfield — where he had already scored more than 40 goals in his first season.
Some of those who worked with Kane in his early years believe those goalkeeping sessions may have actually shaped him as a finisher. Knowing how goalkeepers think, the theory goes, gave him an edge when it came to placing his shots.
Rejection Never Stuck
Kane’s path to the top was anything but smooth. He was released by Arsenal, then later by Tottenham, before a brief spell at Watford — where he scored against Spurs — convinced them to bring him back. That refusal to be beaten by setbacks became a recurring theme.
Bricknell, who coached Kane at Ridgeway Rovers from age six, pointed to resilience as the defining quality: “He didn’t really care if he missed because he knew another chance would come along.”
The Turkey Tournament
As a 19-year-old, Kane was called up to England’s under-20s by manager Peter Taylor for the 2013 World Cup in Turkey. The squad included John Stones and Ross Barkley, but England struggled — drawing twice and losing once to finish bottom of a group featuring Iraq, Chile and Egypt. Kane scored once but left disappointed.
Taylor told The Guardian he wouldn’t have predicted the career that followed: “If you’d asked me if he was going to go back from that tournament and all of a sudden get into Spurs’s first team and have the career he’s had, I would’ve said: ‘I hope he does… but probably not.’”
Taylor also recalled Kane turning up to a hotel putting competition in full golf gear — hat, gloves, the lot — while everyone else wore training kit. “He’s come down as if he’s going to play the Open,” Taylor said. A small moment, but one that revealed a grounded personality capable of laughing at itself.
The Pochettino Effect
Kane was eventually handed his Spurs chance by Tim Sherwood in 2013–14, then exploded under Mauricio Pochettino the following season with 31 goals in 51 games. But the relationship took time to develop. Pochettino pushed Kane to become a more modern forward — pressing, mobile, less reliant on old-school hold-up play. Kane listened, adapted, and went on to claim three Premier League Golden Boots.
For a fuller picture of Kane’s international journey, visit our World Cup 2026 hub or check the latest live standings.