Kane eyes NFL after football career
Harry Kane eyes NFL after football career.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – England striker Harry Kane is keen to pursue a kicking career in the NFL once his football days are behind him.
The Tottenham star told ESPN in an interview Wednesday he believes his dead ball ability could translate to success as an NFL place kicker one day.
"That’s real," Kane told ESPN of his NFL ambitions. "Something that in 10 or 12 years I definitely want to try."
Kane is a huge NFL fan and has forged a friendship with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady via social media in recent years, stating that he has drawn inspiration from the six-time Super Bowl winner’s career.
Kane said his desire to attempt to break into the NFL as a kicker was linked to his competitive drive.
"It goes back to that drive to be the best," he told ESPN.
"Even if I download a game on my phone, can I be the best in the world?
"If you play in the Premier League and the World Cup and you then play in the NFL would you then be considered one of the greatest sportsmen ever?"
Kane, 25, would be well into his 30s by the time he attempted to break into the NFL.
However NFL kickers regularly play deep into their 30s and early 40s in a position which requires them to be on the field for just a few seconds per game.
Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri is the oldest active player in the NFL at the age of 46.
Kane meanwhile said Brady’s career path -- where he was an unfancied late draft pick who would become the greatest quarterback in history -- had inspired him in his own career.
"Not many people thought he’d become that good, or even play in the NFL, and he went on to become the best ever," said Kane.
"At the time, it gave me a real boost to say, look, anything is possible. If you have that self-belief and that drive and that hunger, you can do it."
