There has long been a rumour among football fans that Harry Kane is secretly an Arsenal supporter in disguise after he was pictured in the club’s kit as a youngster.
More often than not, these rumours came from the red side of London in a bid to wind up their rivals by claiming that Kane wasn’t in fact ‘one of their own’.
After writing in The Players’ Tribune, the England striker finally put those rumours to bed.
Harry Kane opens up on proving Arsenal wrong and his career so far with The Players’ Tribune
The 24-year-old did in fact play for the Gunners as a kid but was released before it became something serious at the age of eight.
Since then, Kane has always had a ‘chip on his shoulder’ when it comes to playing Arsene Wenger’s men, just so he can prove the club were wrong to let him go.
‘It might sound ridiculous but every time we played them, I thought, “Alright, we’ll see who’s right and who’s wrong.”
‘For me, the rejection is the best thing that ever happened to me. When I was lacing my up boots for my first start in the North London derby back in 2015, I had a flashback to when I was 11, playing against Arsenal’s youth team. It was like déjà vu.
‘We were in the tunnel, and I thought, “O.K. Took me 12 years. But we’ll see who was right and who was wrong.”’
Kane (L) was rumoured to have been a life-long Arsenal fan after being pictured in the shirt
Kane (bottom left) was released from Arsenal’s youth team when he was eight years old
Kane went on to score twice that day and win the game with a late header.
His rejection at Arsenal isn’t the only thing that lit a fire in his belly. His failed loan spell at Leicester and Tom Brady’s story as an unwanted quarterback continues to push Kane to be better.
After digging in following his loan spells at Millwall, Norwich and the Foxes, Kane reached the huge milestone of scoring 100 Premier League goals having netted in the dying moments against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
The 24-year-old speaks about his close relationship with manager Mauricio Pochettino
Kane attributes a lot of his success to Pochettino, who he describes as a ‘special person’
It wasn’t without the help of manager, and who he describes as his close friend, Mauricio Pochettino.
‘One of my fondest memories in football is when I scored a hattrick a few seasons ago and Mauricio called me into his office after the match.
‘He’s got his arm around me, with his glass of wine in the other hand, and we’re taking a photo. It was brilliant. That was the first time I thought, “Wow, this is a special person.” He’s a fantastic, fantastic man. I respect him as a manager and as a boss, of course — but he’s really my friend outside of football, as well.
‘He’s the reason why our squad has become so close — we’re genuine mates, and I think that’s rare in football nowadays. ‘
That’s Kane’s next goal — lifting the Premier League title. The striker has come close twice and the Englishman would trade in his next 100 strikes to finish first.
‘I close my eyes and I picture myself lifting the Premier League trophy at our new stadium with my mates. I’d trade the next 100 goals for that feeling.’
Spurs’ No 10 scored his 100th Premier League goal in the 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday