Well, that’s probably a relief in the end, isn’t it? As England prepares for the mildly exciting double header against Greece and Finland, it’s hard to feel much disappointment at the news that Harry Kane is likely to play only a minor role. It’s better for him to rest his aching ankle, tortured back, and weary mind, allowing his creaking ligaments to recover at least until the club football grind resumes next week.
After all, it’s been 13 years, with 650 professional games and five grueling England tournaments. Throughout this time, Kane’s careful management of his body has been a constant sub-narrative, making it almost painful to watch those joints and muscles fire up again.
Kane’s current leg issue marks his 12th major injury since 2019. He always recovers quickly, often proving it. When he finally retires, Kane’s body should probably be preserved in the National Football Museum, a testament to pushing the limits of talent and physique.
It’s probably the strain and the desire for new experiences that make his absence in these games feel like a blessing. Kane remains England’s most successful modern player, fully invested in the England identity, almost inseparable from it. He’s essentially England’s dad in the modern era.
But do we really want to see the same patterns: the same shapes and movements, the standard goal in each game (a penalty, a ping into the corner), the Kane iconography of the past eight years? Here’s a thought: whisper it, say it out loud. It’s not going to happen, but there’s a fair case that both Kane and England would benefit if he retired from international football.
This isn’t on the cards. The aim is longevity: 150 caps, 100 goals, an endless Kane supremacy. Maybe that’s fine. Maybe the national team is more likely to win with him. But it’s always a little later than you think. While stepping aside might seem odd, it’s not given the history of England footballers in the same role and Kane’s current position on his timeline.
It’s worth considering from two perspectives: player and team. What does Kane really want to do with England? What’s the endgame? Presumably, it’s trying to win a home Euros with England in 2028. But Kane will be 35 by then, already fighting his body, managing physical decline. Can you imagine the agony of watching this continue four years from now?
Before that, there’s a World Cup in two years. This is more plausible. But actually winning a World Cup, the only way Kane can top what he’s already done, is a long shot. A younger, fresher Kane has already had a shot in two England finals. Are there really new peaks to scale?
For now, there’s a completeness to Kane’s England career: 68 goals in 100 games, more in tournaments and knockout games than anyone else, a key role in a generational revival. It seems absurd that Kane should need defending, but England is sometimes absurd. It’s worth remembering Kane wasn’t meant to be this good, wasn’t a prodigy, failed to get in at Spurs as a kid, came back as a midfielder, filler not a star.
While it’s a joke to see Kane as the highest-scoring person who doesn’t win – World Cup golden boot, Euros golden boot, highest-scoring Englishman in the Champions League and Bundesliga, but yes, zero trophies – the fact is he makes teams better. Sadly, those teams have been Spurs and England, two entities defined by not winning, and then Bayern Munich, who were willing to pay £100m for Kane despite his decision to stay on too long at Spurs.
It would be beneficial to concentrate on what’s achievable, managing his time in club football better, seeking to win some trophies, rounding out his experience, adopting the path of senior star player at one of Europe’s elite clubs. This feels like a workable second life, as opposed to more of the same.
For England, it might be useful to open up a space in attack, make a choice about how to play. Kane is still England’s best goalscorer. There’s no No 9 at his level, despite the talk about golden gushing spumes of world-beating talent. England has an opportunity to decide how they want to play: with the same semi-mobile superstar or with different patterns.
Ollie Watkins, for example, might never score as many goals or make as many deep passes, but has a different range of gifts and movement. Watkins has only once played 90 minutes for England. Dominic Solanke is 27 and has one cap. Both are good forwards in their peak years. They can change the overall tone. The same goes for playing a false nine or letting Jude Bellingham unleash his energy in that central attacking role.
But all these options need time, and need it now. In the end, everyone worth agonizing over stays on too long. By the start of next year, Kane will already be older than anyone who scored 30 England goals at the point where they got their last (with the slight exception of Bobby Charlton, who trotted to a standstill). He’s already three years older than Michael Owen and Jimmy Greaves when they last scored, and two years older than Alan Shearer.
Accepting your limits isn’t what star athletes generally do, if only because you don’t get to be a star if that’s your tendency. There must always be rage against every obstacle, including the dimming of the light. A Kane retirement won’t happen. It doesn’t fit anyone’s plans. It’s not what happens in England, where star players have so much power. But time, which has no respect for your hopes and feelings, might still suggest it was the right thing to do.
