England captain Harry Kane has said that he believes he is at his “physical and mental peak” and reiterated his desire to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo by playing into his late thirties.
Ronaldo, 39, scored the 901st goal of his remarkable career as Portugal came from behind to beat Scotland 2-1 on Sunday night.
Kane is set to win his 100th England cap when the Three Lions face Finland in a UEFA Nations League clash at Wembley on Tuesday, becoming the 10 men’s player to reach that milestone and the first since Wayne Rooney in 2014.
The 31-year-old is already England’s all-time record scorer with 66 goals and he will be presented with a golden cap in a special ceremony before kick-off.
However, Kane’s individual performances were criticised during England’s Euro 2024 campaign and he was substituted in the final against Spain after another underwhelming display.
Yet Bayern Munich striker Kane, who is set to start against Finland, said: “I feel in really good shape. I feel both physically and mentally at a peak in my career. Just watching other players like Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal yesterday and seeing him compete at 38, 39 years old, just inspires me to play for as long as possible.
“I love this game, I love representing England more than anything and I don’t want it to end any time soon. For me, it is about continuing to improve, being consistent in an England shirt and at club level. Who knows how many caps or goals I can get but I am hungry for more and determined to keep pushing the boundaries.
“Sometimes it is hard to sink in while you are still playing and while the moments come. I’ve spoken about that previously with some of the goalscoring records but this is one I am extremely proud of.
“It shows great consistency over a long period of time. Some of the other players who have achieved it are some of our greatest ever players. It is something I am really excited for. I’ll have my family there to enjoy the moment as well. For sure, a moment when I’m retired that I’ll look back on with immense pride.”
