Kane: I’ve sacrificed my social life for my football career

What’s the secret to Harry Kane’s success? According to him, it’s about focusing on his game and not being distracted with anything apart from recovery and family.

Kane gave an interview with ESPN Brazil where he says that he’s had to give up pretty much anything that constitutes a social life in order to maximize his ability as a professional football, but that it’s what he wants as he tries to be the best player he can be.

“[I give up] my time, really, especially with the schedules of games these days from my point of view. You come in, you train, you play, you go home, you rest… that’s kind of a footballer’s life. I love doing it.

“You maybe lose some of the social part of life. It’s a matter of opinion. Not every player does what I do. Some players might go out for meals and stuff, but for me to get the best out of myself means to go home, rest, recover, spend time with the family.

“For me, a football career is so short, I’m going to do everything I can in a short period of time to achieve what I want.”

This isn’t particularly surprising to anyone who has followed Kane’s career for any length of time. He’s portrayed as somewhat of a reclusive homebody: you never hear reports about Kane out at clubs, or at social events. He doesn’t go watch the darts with Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele, and you probably won’t see photographs of him at London’s swankiest restaurants with any regularity.

Even before his engagement and the birth of his daughter, Kane shied away from the spotlight, and according to him it’s just because he’d rather maximize his football career while he still has one.

Kane also was asked about his finishing 2017 as Europe’s leading goal scorer, and whether that means he’s better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

“That’s a matter of opinion. For me, they’ve been such good players over the past ten years or so, dominating football, and rightly so. They’re known as two of the best ever players. To even be up there and beat them is something I’m proud of. For me it’s about doing that every year. Not just beating them, but trying to win as many trophies as they’ve won.”

You can watch the whole video at ESPN Brazil.