'The desire is real': England captain Harry Kane targets NFL career
England and Tottenham skipper Harry Kane has already planned for life after football - known in the United States as "soccer" - by switching codes and donning the shoulder pads to play as a kicker in the NFL.
Kane is set to be presented with an MBE honor for services to sport from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
And the Spurs star already has big plans for life after professional football, as he plans to head Stateside to embark on a new career in a different sport.
Kane is a big fan of the current Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, and was in attendance in Atlanta to watch them capture their sixth Super Bowl title in February.
But Kane's love for the gridiron game stretches past mere fandom, as he explained in an interview with ESPN this week.
"The desire to play in the NFL is real. It's something that in 10 or 12 years I definitely want to try," he revealed, saying he'd love to be a two-sport superstar by becoming a success in the NFL after his football career comes to a close.
"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?" he asked.
"It goes back to that drive to be the best. Even if I download a game on my phone, can I be the best in the world?"
Kane was one of the stars of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, winning the Golden Boot for the tournament's top goalscorer as England made it to the semi-finals in their best performance in a major international tournament since the UEFA European Championships of 1996.
And having met Patriots' legendary quarterback Tom Brady, Kane says he is inspired to follow his dream and pursue a future career in the NFL.
"We've had a similar path being doubted when we were younger - maybe not being the best athletes as kids," he said.
"Not many people thought he'd become that good or even play in the NFL and he went on to become the best ever.
"At the time, it gave me a real boost to say, look, anything is possible.
"If you have that self-belief, that drive and that hunger, you can do it."
