Harry Kane lifts lid on retirement plans after ‘below par’ Euro 2024 performances

The England striker and captain struggled to impress this summer, despite his nation reaching the final

Harry Kane says he wants to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and play into his late thirties, despite admitting there are “good questions” about the football calendar and the toll on players.

The 31-year-old admitted his performances at Euro 2024 were “below par”, as he discussed the need to adapt to a season that will end with his Bayern Munich team appearing in the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup.

Kane looked physically weighed down in some games this summer, in a tournament where one of the primary themes was how England couldn’t press in the same way. He evidently sees that as a temporary issue rather than something reflective of the modern game’s demands, as he intends to emulate Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal aged 39 on Thursday (5 September).

“Cristiano is the benchmark, not only being one of the best footballers ever to play, but also the benchmark of how long you can play for at a higher level,” Kane said. “I think sometimes in football and maybe in sport in general, there’s a perception that when you get to your thirties it’s time to start slowing down, playing less games, and not playing to the high level.

“But like I’ve touched on before, the Ronaldos, the [Lionel] Messis, the [Karim] Benzemas, [Robert] Lewandowskis, all these guys [had] incredible careers in their thirties, and almost upped their level as they got into mid-thirties, really reaching their peak. And Cristiano is just showing that every week, every time he plays, every time he scores, so from my point of view that’s the aim.

“I want to play as long as possible for England, and I want to play as long as possible in football, and it’s great to see other athletes in front of me, it shows that it’s possible and, yeah, it’s just about how you feel yourself. And like I mentioned before, I feel in a really good place – both physically and mentally – and whatever noise there is around, I’m sure there will be noise around me, like there was around Cristiano and still is around Cristiano, but as long as you keep performing and keep doing what you know you can, that’s all you can do.”

Harry Kane (right) with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 (Getty Images)

Kane accepted the argument that more games have potentially influenced performance. A FifPro study on Thursday revealed that modern players are hitting close to 70 games for the first time in history.

“It is a good question, and it is a question which is getting asked more and more in terms of football and the scheduling and how many games we play. It will be even more difficult now with the Club World Cup, because we will pretty much be going all year round, back into the next season, leading into the next World Cup. You have to learn and adapt to the situations as you go along. No one really knows how that tournament is going to go, the Club World Cup.

“From a personal point of view, I will always try to adapt and learn from different occasions and different tournaments, always learning from my body to get into the best shape possible, but ultimately it is something players have to get used to – and I have had to get used to that over the years, playing in the major tournaments. I will always try to get myself into the best possible shape for the summers. It is not always easy, as it is always at the end of a tough season, but that is the same for everyone.

Kane in training for England, ahead of their game with Ireland on 7 September (The FA via Getty Images)

“There was a lot of talk during the Euros about me and my condition, but like I said then: I felt in good shape. Did the games go the way I wanted? No, not really. But there were a lot of us who felt below par in terms of individual performances, and we did extremely well to get to [the final], which was down to our team spirit and cohesion we created over the years.

“But sometimes when it does not go the way you wanted it to go, there is always something to look for and someone to blame, but I feel good. I have come back in a good place, and I have started the season well. We are talking about a long way away, but from now until [the Club World Cup], I hope to stay in good shape.”