Harry Kane Draws Inspiration from Ronaldo and Messi for New England Chapter

Football greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi keep England captain and striker Harry Kane motivated going into Saturday's UEFA Nations League match against Ireland. England get a clean slate with new manager Lee Carsley after losing the Euro 2024 final 2-1 against Spain.

Kane will play his 99th match for England when they face Ireland in Dublin. Ahead of the game, Kane shared the pain of not winning the major trophy, but it makes him even more motivated to turn that feat.

It's tough whenever you get so close to reaching one of the pinnacles of your career and it's taken away. It makes me even more motivated. It puts the fire in the belly to try and get there. Our task is to get better, BBC Radio 5 Live quoted Kane as saying.

He added that he gets inspiration from modern-day greats Ronaldo and Messi, and therefore wants to continue playing football.

"I think when you look at players like Ronaldo, Modric and Messi- all these players who are playing in their mid-to-late 30s, that's the inspiration for me because it shows that you can really play at a high level for a long time.

I want to play football for as long as possible and at the highest level for as long as possible. I use those players for motivation and inspiration to be able to do that. I feel I am in a really good place both mentally and physically to have another great season, hopefully, that continues for many years to come," Kane added.

Kane called the start of Carsley's interim spell in charge "another exciting chapter in my England career". Asked if it felt like a new era, he said: "It felt a little bit strange when we first came into camp. The boss has his own ideas and identity. We did a lot of good things with Gareth but ultimately the new coach has fresh ideas. It's been good."

England have four uncapped players in the squad: Newcastle defender Tino Livramento, Lille's Angel Gomes, Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, and Chelsea forward Noni Madueke.

"There are a lot of young players excited to be here and express themselves. It is great for the experienced players too because I have been playing for nine years for England now. I still remember that excitement from the first camp," Kane said.