According to an article on ESPN.com Harry Kane says he is not satisfied with 50 goals in 2017 and finishing 10th in the Ballon d’Or but that he has admitted he will not be considered for the biggest individual prizes until Spurs start winning trophies.
The article adds that Kane’s double in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Stoke City took him to a half-century of goals in 2017 — including seven for England — and it adds that he will break Alan Shearer’s record for Premier League goals in a calendar year — 36 in 1995 — if he scores four more in the next five games.
The article goes on to describe how the 24-year-old’s exploits earned him a spot on the Ballon d’Or shortlist for the first time and he finished 10th in the voting this week, with Cristiano Ronaldo again securing the top prize.
“It’s 10th — it’s not first at the end of the day,” Kane said. “It’s been a good year for me and it’s one I am happy with but my aim is always to win competitions and win the Ballon d’Or. Fifty goals this year and we will see in the last few games how many I end up with but 2018 is time to improve and get better and hopefully do more and win more as well”
Kane added: “Obviously there are a few more games left so hopefully I can get a few more [goals]. It is a good mark to get to. For me it’s about whether I can beat that next year. Let’s see if I can go even better than that!”
The article goes on to say Kane was asked what more he could do the win the Ballon d’Or in future, and the forward said: “I think it takes winning trophies with your club: Premier Leagues, FA Cups, Champions Leagues. That’s the only way to get better and progress. As a team we have been very close recently. We are quite a way behind this year, but we are still in three competitions and we have to just fight until the end and see what happens come the end of the season.
He added: “Of course, it’s what we all want to do and what every player wants to achieve is to win trophies,” Kane continued. “Some people might say we have been unfortunate in the last couple of years but it’s something that hasn’t happened for us. We are still in competitions this year that we can go far in, so that’s what we have got to try and achieve.
MORE SPURS STORIES
Kane continued; “There were times when doubt creeps in and you start questioning yourself,” he added. “But I always stay focussed and believed that if I got my chance in the Premier League that I would take it and that’s what happened. I have worked awfully hard to get where I am now and it doesn’t stop now, it continues until the rest of my career.”
The article adds how Kane’s brace against Stoke came after Son Heung-Min’s cross had been turned into his own net by Ryan Shawcross, and the South Korean scored Spurs’ second and also assisted Christian Eriksen’s fifth.
It adds that Kane described Son as “fantastic” and “making a real impact” at Spurs however he was frustrated not to have had a hat-trick himself after firing wide in the first half and being denied by excellent Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland late on.
“It’s brilliant playing against Harry because you are testing yourself against the best,” Butland, Kane’s England teammate, said. “I love playing against him. I have managed to keep him quiet a couple of times. It is a challenge and I want to be playing with and against the best and Harry is one of those.
Butland added: “I’m sure Harry is disappointed that he didn’t take home the match ball, but I am pleased I managed to stop him. He’s a brilliant player all-round. He gets credit for his goal-scoring but his all-round play, his hold-up, link-up and distribution is fantastic, he is one of the most complete strikers there is.”
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
