Harry Kane’s (33) career has not always been plain sailing. Having come through the youth academies at Arsenal, Ridgeway Rovers FC and Watford, the Englishman eventually continued his development at Tottenham Hotspur. But before establishing himself as a legend there, the striker went through many periods of doubt. This was particularly the case during his successive loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City, where he didn’t always get much playing time.

“I wondered what I could do to make the most of it: work harder on my left foot, go for extra runs after training since I wasn’t playing matches, or improve my agility with footwork drills on a speed ladder,” Kane explained in an interview with France Football. “I told myself: ‘I believe my chance will come, and I’ll be ready when it does.’ And that’s more or less what happened.”

Having finally returned to Spurs in the summer of 2013, the Englishman explains that, during the transfer window, “the club were considering loaning me out again to the Championship”, but that, driven by a desire to prove himself, he refused, keen to stay and prove his worth.

“I felt the time had come to take the next step. I was 20. If I didn’t manage to establish myself at that point, I was afraid I’d keep being loaned out and eventually end up being sold,” recalls Kane. “So I took a stand. I said I wanted to play and fight for my place, even though I was only the fourth-choice striker at the time.”

It was a decision that paid off for the London-born player, whose fortunes changed during Tim Sherwood’s spell in charge at Tottenham. “Tim gave me my chance and I scored three goals in three Premier League matches. Of course, my journey didn’t stop there. But I knew I’d seized that opportunity,” Kane says. “I asked myself how I could use that positive momentum to keep improving.” The striker would continue to develop under Mauricio Pochettino, who made him one of the key players in his system.