Kane reveals sacrifices behind beating Messi, Ronaldo
Tottenham striker Harry Kane admits it has not been easy to stay fit and sharp enough to surpass Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the goalscoring charts.
Tottenham star Harry Kane has revealed the level of sacrifice he has made in his personal life in order to surpass the goalscoring exploits of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kane tipped for 2018 Ballon d'Or
The striker scored 56 goals for club and country in 2017, placing him top of the charts for players at clubs in Europe's top five leagues, one ahead of Barcelona ace Messi. Kane's form, if it continues in 2018, has seen him tipped as an outsider to become the first player to stop Messi or Ronaldo winning the Ballon d'Or since Kaka claimed the prize in 2007.
The 24-year-old admits he has given up a significant amount of his social life in order to sustain his level of performances and leave the rest of the continent in his wake.
"They've been such good players over the last ten years or so, and dominated football and rightly so," Kane told ESPN of Messi and Ronaldo. "They'll go down 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 it every year. Not just beating them but winning as many trophies as they've won."
"It's about going home, resting, recovering..."
"I've sacrificed most of my time, especially with the schedule of games," he added, "you come in, you train, you play, you recover, you rest. That's a footballer's life. I don't complain. It's something I love doing.
"But you lose maybe the social part of your life. It's a matter of opinion. Not every player does what I do. Some players may go out, go for meals – that kind of thing. From my point of view, to get the best out of myself, it's about going home, resting, recovering, spending time with my family and do everything I can in that short period of time to achieve what I can."