Harry Kane admits that Cristiano Ronaldo has put him under pressure following a hat-trick against Spain. The England Skipper is already playing catch up to Ronaldo in the World Cup scoring stakes as he is hoping to start a goal spree of his own against Tunisia. Ronaldo turned in a classic performance with a superb hat-trick as Portugal drew 3-3 with Spain on Friday, instantly turning up the heat on the rest of the tournament’s top marksmen.
Kane happily ranks himself in that elite group and is eager to start chasing down the Real Madrid star in Volgograd when the Three Lions get under way on Monday night. “For sure, he’s put me under a bit of pressure. He’s a fantastic player who had a fantastic game,” said Kane on the eve of his first World Cup appearance.
“Hopefully I will score a hat-trick and we’ll both be level. But it’s not something I’ll be thinking about until later in the tournament. It’s about concentrating on the team.”
Invited to expand on his journey from perpetual loanee to marquee player for club and country, he does so with pride and finishes with a flourish. “Four years ago, I was watching it (the World Cup) on holiday,” said the Tottenham man. “I played the last six or seven games of the Premier League season under Tim Sherwood and then Mauricio Pochettino came in that summer.
“He got me fit, in better shape and more powerful. I kicked on from there with a lot of hard work and determination, there were players ahead of me at the time. “I had to work hard on the training pitch and take the opportunities when they came. The last few years I’ve proved myself and now I’m here and I can’t wait to get out there and show the world what I’ve got.”