Gareth Southgate announced on Tuesday that Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur will be England’s captain for this summer’s World Cup in Russia. Kane takes the armband from Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, who is also in the provisional squad for the Three Lions.
Harry Kane will take over as the England captain through the course of the World Cup this summer, as manager Gareth Southgate made the decision to give the Tottenham striker the armband after Jordan Henderson’s tenure as skipper.
After just narrowly missing out on the Premier League’s golden boot to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Kane still finished the 2017/2018 campaign with quite impressive numbers. The 24-year-old tallied 41 goals and 5 assists, from a total of 48 appearances across all competitions, the majority of which came in the Premier League (30 goals, 3 assists).
Kane is by no means a stranger to the limelight, especially after such an impressive season, which makes him all the more suited for England’s captaincy with the increased attention from the media he’ll be receiving; more press conferences, media appearances, etc. comes with the role.
After receiving the positive news, a jubilant Kane expressed his excitement to lead the Three Lions at this summer’s tournament (via Sky Sports):
"It is an amazing honour. You always dream of playing for England growing up and to be the captain is that little bit more. I’m so excited for the World Cup. I can’t wait to be there and experience it. To be leading the lads out is going to be special, But for me, nothing changes. I’m still the person, the same player. It is just about the team. We will do what we can and go as far as we can."
A very proud day. It means a lot to me to be named @England captain. A massive thanks to family, friends and fans who have supported me through thick and thin. 🦁🦁🦁 #EnglandCaptain #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/afncNkoVnd
— Harry Kane (@HKane) May 22, 2018
This also isn’t the first time Kane’s been England captain before, either. He wore the armband on three separate occasions during England’s qualifying campaign for the World Cup; a 2-2 draw with Scotland last summer, a 1-0 win over Slovenia in October, and a 1-0 win over Lithuania in October.
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Looking forward, Kane said the England have aspirations of going far in the tournament, and even went as far as saying they have bold aspirations of winning it altogether (via The guardian):
"I believe we can win it. That’s what we’ve got to try and do. Anything else is not good enough, really. I want to win everything I do, it’s in my mind-set. So do the players. So that’s what we’re going to try and do. There are some really good teams in the World Cup but those dreams of lifting the trophy are worth fighting for. We’re going to fight and give everything we’ve got. Maybe there is less expectation [on the outside] at the moment but as soon as we get to Russia it’ll ramp back up again."