When Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala crumpled to the floor of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, his fibula fractured, his ankle broken and dislocated, Harry Kane rushed to his stricken teammate. That’s typical Kane, typical of his instincts. To help.
Kane is a very, very good player, as he aims to show in sealing World Cup qualification for England against Latvia in Riga on Tuesday, and an even better human being as he shows every day of the week. That’s not always a common combination in elite sport. Kane cares.
Kane was yards away when Musiala was accidentally caught by Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Atlanta quarterfinal of the summer’s Club World Cup. Kingsley Coman looked away in horror after seeing Musiala’s mangled ankle, Michael Olise pulled his shirt over his head, hiding the anguish on his face and Joshua Kimmich held his head in his hands.
Musiala is a popular teammate, and they all knew how serious this injury was. Kane knelt alongside Musiala as Bayern’s medics ran on. Kane placed both hands on Musiala, trying to comfort him. Donnarumma did not initially realise the consequences of his challenge but when he did, he appeared inconsolable, Kane comforted him, too.
Those of us who have known Kane since he broke into professional football in 2009 were not surprised by such a show of compassion. It’s the way he was raised by his parents, Kim and Patrick, in northeast London. Kane’s from a strong family big on standards.
He was brought up to respect others, and to be a team player. “Work hard and be nice to people,” is a good mantra that embodies Kane. I did a video call with Kane last year and he logged on early, ready to chat.
Kane Avoids the Limelight
Kane likes the quiet life, rarely chases headlines and so perhaps is not celebrated as more high-profile individuals. As a footballer, Kane is the rung below the two greats of the modern era: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He’s still world-class, sharing status with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. He’s that level.
Yet he doesn’t really have an ego. Whereas some goalscorers celebrate with self-aggrandising gestures, pointing to the name on the back of their shirt, Kane simply kisses his wedding ring to salute his wife, Kate.
They met at school and Kate’s far removed from the flash, splash-the-cash image of some footballers’ wives. She’s known a harder life when Kane struggled for games and recognition early on at Tottenham Hotspur, and when he went out on loan to smaller clubs, when his weight was questioned, when some doubted whether he would make it. Kate believed in Harry, supported him and has very much been an important part of his success story.
Loved Oktoberfest 2025 with Kate and the team! 🍻
— Harry Kane (@HKane) October 5, 2025
Perfect finish to the week 🙌 pic.twitter.com/qOFIbHqJtZ
It's only in the past couple of years as he’s extended his England record, and won the Bundesliga, that Kane has been properly appreciated. Even then, he’s still not lauded enough because we tend to take his consistent goalscoring for granted. England are not only blessed to have him as centre-forward but also as captain. He represents team, sport and country well.
Kane showed his empathetic nature when his England teammate Bukayo Saka, the Arsenal winger, was distraught after Italy’s Donnarumma saved his penalty at the climax of Euro 2020. Kane was straight to him, consoling him, letting Saka know the team had his back.
When England’s Black players were racially abused by a small group of Bulgarian fans in Sofia, Kane took charge, consulting with the referee and UEFA officials over the course of action. The game was stopped while announcements were made. He's a moral man.
His Numbers Speak for Themselves
Most people try to define Kane through numbers, namely the unbelievable amount of goals amassed by the 32-year-old: a club-record 280 goals in 435 games for Spurs; 103 in 106 games for Bayern; and an England record of 74 goals in 109 internationals. Others, whether cynics or the haters on social media, try to denigrate Kane by questioning the numbers, including the amount of penalties (23) in his England tally. Penalties are still a test of technique and mindset.
Critics carp at the amount of goals in friendly games (nine). They ignore that those Kane passed to become England’s leading scorers had their numbers even more enhanced by goals in friendlies: Wayne Rooney (16 of his 53 goals), Sir Bobby Charlton (22 of his 49 in non-competitive games) and Gary Lineker (26 of 48).
When people think about sniping at Kane, whether through jealousy or they support rival sides, I think of Kane the man as well as Kane the player. I’ve been on community trips around schools with Kane and he’s paused in the corridor, holding the door open for a passing teacher. I’ve been at charity fundraisers in London where the after-dinner auction contained signed shirts, boots, even use of his box at Spurs during his time there.
He offers advice to younger players. During England weeks, the winger Anthony Gordon often asks Kane for tips, most recently on heading. “I try and pick his brains because he's a genius,” Gordon says.
All of this listing of Kane’s qualities is not to say he’s an angel when the first whistle blows. His professional occupation, especially the position he plays, demands being supremely competitive, and pushing the boundaries of fair play with a nudge here, as Arsenal’s Gabriel would attest in 2024, and an exaggerated response to a challenge there, a polite way of saying Kane has been accused of resorting to simulation.
He drew consternation from Spurs rivals, Arsenal, after appearing to dive when fairly challenged by Arsenal’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos in 2019. Sky Sports asked Kane about the controversial incident, and he tried to deflect the question by saying, “I’ll have to watch it back.”
Sky promptly obliged. They had the incident ready on tape, replayed it and Kane had to protest his innocence, not that convincingly. He’s not the first striker to take evasive action when a challenge comes in or make the most of minimal contact. He wants to win.
𝟲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀. 𝟭𝟰 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🤯
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) October 6, 2025
Harry Kane’s start to the season 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/n1yZUFiTmF
Where Kane can truly be judged as an England great is his return of 15 goals in the five tournaments he’s played in, including important goals in the knockout stage: a penalty against Colombia in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup. At Euro 2020, Kane contributed with a header against Germany in the round of 16, a poacher’s strike from eight yards in the quarterfinal against Ukraine and then following up his saved penalty against Denmark to help England reach the final.
On it went, the history book glowing with references: Kane struck with a low shot against Senegal in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, and then a spot-kick in the quarterfinal against France (when he also missed a penalty). His penalty helped England past the Netherlands and into the Euro 2024 final. He finished the competition as joint top scorer but was still questioned.
There was even a debate, led by former England strikers Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, about whether he should be dropped, and replaced by Ollie Watkins. He wasn’t completely fit but still delivered.
He is appreciated more now that he’s won the Bundesliga but there are still those in English football who remark dismissively about the standard of defending in German football.
Even so, Kane’s numbers continue to take the breath away. Only Haaland has enjoyed a more productive start to the season for club and country than Kane. Manchester City’s prolific Norwegian has a phenomenal 21 goals and three assists in 12 games to Kane’s 19 goals and three assists in 12 games.
And he’s more than goals. Kane’s many admirers also highlight the work Kane does for the team, creating space. “His vision and passing range are frightening,” Gordon adds. Gordon describes Kane as a “quarterback” for teams, dropping off his front position and releasing wide players. Such a big fan of NFL, and Tom Brady in particular (his Labrador’s named Brady), Kane would love the comparison. Creating goals for others is a Kane trait—helping others. As he did Musiala.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Will Harry Kane’s Phenomenal Contribution Ever Get the Credit It Deserves?.
