London (Reuters)
England captain Harry Kane has drawn inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo’s long career ahead of his 100th cap for his country against Finland on Tuesday in the UEFA Nations League.
The 31-year-old Bayern Munich striker, who has scored 66 goals in 99 appearances for his country since making his debut in 2015, became the first player to play 100 games for England since striker Wayne Rooney in November 2014.
Kane, who will become the 10th player to make 100 appearances for England, took Ronaldo as a role model after the 39-year-old Portugal captain scored his 901st career goal to help his side to a 2-1 win over Scotland in the UEFA Nations League.
“I feel really good physically and mentally, at the peak of my career,” Kane told reporters. “Watching other players and Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal, seeing him compete at 39, inspires me to play as long as I can. I love the game, I love representing England more than anything and I don’t want that to end anytime soon. For me now it’s about continuing to improve and keep going, whether it’s for England or at club level. I’m hungry for more and determined to keep challenging myself.
The FA will honour Kane ahead of the second-tier Nations League match against Finland with a special pre-match ceremony that will include the presentation of a golden cap.
“It’s very special,” Kane said. “I always say it’s hard sometimes to take in things like that when you’re playing. I’ve spoken about it before about the goal record, but I’m really proud of it. I’m very excited. My family will be there to enjoy the moment as well, and it’s a moment I’m sure I’ll remember when I retire.”
On the other hand, England’s interim coach, Lee Carsley, said he was enjoying his time with the team.
Carsley, who has been in charge of England’s Under-21s since 2021 and won the European Championship with them last year, will take charge of two senior games this month with the possibility of continuing into the autumn as England search for a full-time successor to manager Gareth Southgate.
Carsley won 2-0 against Ireland in his first match for England.
“I think it’s clear that I’ll be in three camps, I’m really happy with that and if it changes I’ll be happy too,” Carsley added. “I’m lucky with the situation now and the most important thing is the team, not the coaches. The players should be in the spotlight and get the attention.”
Carsley said England would make two or three changes to the starting line-up to freshen up the squad ahead of the Finland clash.
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