He plays golf in his spare time, he doesn’t drink alcohol, he doesn’t go clubbing; that is the life of Harry Kane.
Sensible, measured and prudent in his use of words, you won’t find the Tottenham striker out at parties or big events and his dress sense could see him mistaken for any normal person on the street.
He wears blazers, checked jackets, flip flops to go to training and he avoids the statement fashion items and cars that are common place at training grounds.
With a shy smile and blonde hair, Harry Kane (London, 1993) was interviewed by MARCA last January, just after he became the father of Ivy Jane.
Kane spends his free time with his daughter, who wears a shirt with the name “Daddy” on the back, and his girlfriend, who he met at school.
The couple will be married in the next few months after Kane proposed last summer on a beach in the Bahamas, but the wedding will be typical of his lifestyle.
It’s expected to be intimate, with his parents Kim and Pat and his big brother Charlie.
Neither him nor his partner like to be the centre of attention, unless it’s for his goals, and they won’t be doing photo shoots or selling stories of their wedding to the press.
The few pictures that are public of them together are of the couple walking their dogs, Brady and Wilson, named after American football stars Tom Brady and Russell Wilson.
Harry is a sports lover, and he has taken in a Yankees game on their holidays to the US in the past, and is also a keen cricketer.
He is where he is now having dealt with rejection, something that was common in his youth.
Originally with Arsenal’s youth set-up, he lasted just a year but was told he wasn’t good enough and was too overweight, putting his footballing future in doubt.
Instead, the now England international went to Tottenham, who turned him down and then changed their mind when he had instead gone to Watford, eventually joining at 11-years-old.
To this day, Arsenal fans enjoy sharing an image of Kane in an Arsenal shirt celebrating their unbeaten league victory in 2003/04.
He grew up admiring Teddy Sheringham and David Beckham, who once visited his school.
For three years, he was forced out on loan, playing in the lower leagues for the likes of Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City.
From third division to world elite
At just 17-years-old, Kane was playing in the third tier of English football, and later when at Norwich after suffering a serious injury, nobody expected him to become a star.
The likes of Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart have all publicly admitted that they did not expect Kane to make it, but in 2013 Spurs’ failure to sign a striker meant that Kane was retained and given some game time.
In 2014, with the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino, his life changed completely.
Behind Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado in the pecking order, Kane had a back-up role and was only selected for cup games.
In November 2014, he started against Everton and he didn’t return to the bench from then on.
His goals weren’t as prolific as now, but they did enough to impress Pochettino with his hard work and sacrifice on the field, without being selfish as many strikers are.
Now, the striker continues to show all of those qualities, even at the peak of his career.
He is always one of the first to arrive at the training ground and eats according to a careful diet plan designed by a Spanish nutritionist, but there is no need to give him instructions, he is dedicated to keeping himself in the best shape possible.
Despite being the star of the team, he is often the last to leave after training, staying on the pitch practising free-kicks.
Compared to Batistuta
In the interview with MARCA, Kane explained that he likes Spain, especially attitudes towards football in the country.
In Tottenham, he has everything he needs to be happy, but one line stands out.
“I want to be the best in the world,” he said.
The striker is proud of his relationship with his coach, who has previously compared his centre forward to Gabriel Batistuta.
“He’s teaching me a lot on and off the pitch, especially about respect and how to treat people,” he noted.
Both are dedicated to each other, Pochettino has even joked about his wife being jealous of his love for his star man.
It’s clear to see why after the form that Kane has produced in 2017.
Europe will be watching in 2018.