From Zero to Top: Harry Kane

I clearly remember that day. The park was just behind our house in Chingford, and I used to come here to play football with my father and brother. No goals, no good playground. Just a field full of grass and two trees; That is why we were happy. I was playing for Arsenal's youth team then. That was a great opportunity.

I was only eight years old then. One day I was walking in the park with my father, he said in a hurry, "I wanted to tell you something."

I said, “Yes, tell me. What happened? ”

I remember, he put his hand on my shoulder, and said, "Listen, Harry… Arsenal aren't putting you in their team anymore."

I can't remember exactly what it was like then. Honestly, I didn't understand then what Dad meant. I was very young then. But I remember my father's reaction. He did not say anything to me, nor did he condemn Arsenal. He didn't even look upset. He just said,

"Don't worry, Harry. We'll work harder - we won't stop there, and we'll find a new club, okay? "

You may be thinking now, I should have been more upset. And like all fathers, if they wanted their child to be a professional footballer, they would take matters into their own hands. But my dad, no matter what, never put too much pressure on me. He always thought of success. In any case, he would say, "Don't stop."

And that's what we did.

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After Arsenal, after a lot of discussion with everyone, I started playing for a local team. Then a scout in Watford looked at me and told me to go to the trial. Interestingly, after playing for Watford against Tottenham, I had the opportunity to join Tottenham. And I enrolled them in the Youth Academy. I think the white jersey suits me well. I remember the day I played my first match against Arsenal, I was furious. It must have been a bit confusing to hear that they kicked me out when I was just eight years old. But every time we played against them, I thought, "OK, let's see who was right and who was wrong."

Now I remember the words of that time, maybe it was one of the best times in my life. Because I found a new meaning in life. Something that wasn't in me before.

When Tottenham sent me on loan for two years, I kept asking questions. The question in my mind was, will I get a chance to score an infinite goal in the Premier League? But I learned a lot in those two years.

I remember the match of Milwal in 2012. Then we were fighting to avoid relegation. My first match at The Den. The referee sits down with a wrong decision, just a wrong decision. And in an instant the gallery visitors burst into tears. The situation is such that the match has to be stopped for five minutes to stop them. And you have to understand, I was only 18 then. I was looking around, "God, this is the whole crazy thing!"

The season continues to move forward, but we have no signs of improvement. I was very surprised by the words of some people in the dressing room. “Brother! If we are relegated, my salary will be halved "or" If we are relegated, my game will be over. "

They all had small children at home - to be honest, that's when a new aspect of the game unfolded before me. Some people are playing football not just for fun, but to keep their families well. My experience in Milwaukee taught me to understand, I am no longer a small teenager. It was a very important lesson for me - and I've been playing great ever since, and I don't think that's a coincidence. Most importantly, we woke up. That's why my soul made a connection with the supporters of Milwal. I love them… even though they're a little crazy.

I was hoping that I would be able to prove enough to be in Tottenham's main squad. But unfortunately they sent me on loan again - and those days were just the beginning of a very difficult time. I have very few opportunities to play in their main team. Then they would play in the Championship - and I would sit in my flat and think, "I can't play in the Championship for Leicester, how can I play in the Premier League for those Spurs?"

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For the first time in my career, I started to suffer from depression. My family came to me late at night - and I had some heated conversations with them. I was so confused that I told my father I wanted to leave the club. Doing so might have cost me dearly, but it was really foggy with myself. Dad said, "Look, keep playing - don't stop. You see, one day everything will be fine. ”

A few weeks later, I was sitting in my flat like before, and without training at the time, I would have watched the NFL, then maybe played games or spent time watching videos on YouTube. So, one day I suddenly found Tom Brady's documentary.

All my life I have been hesitant about Tom. Even when he was in college, the coaches wanted to replace him with another player. The video showed a picture of Tom before the NFL draft, where he took off his shirt it was ridiculous. Because Tom looks like eight or ten ordinary people. Do you understand what I mean? And one of the coaches said, “Look at this Brady boy. Tall and dry, there is no flesh on the body. Looks like he never did exercise. ”

I found myself inside Tom. Many have commented on me, "You know what, he doesn't look like a striker."

When I saw Tom, I was encouraged in a new way. Brady believed in himself - and he never gave up, just kept working to prove himself. It may sound strange to hear, but that day I suddenly saw the light of hope; Sitting on that sofa in my room in Leicester, I suddenly thought, “I'm not stopping. I will work as hard as I can, and one day my opportunity will come. And that day should not be missed. ”

After several matches my old team played with Millwall - and the best defender of that team was trying to scare me that day. He was right behind me once during the throw-in and said, "Hey, Harry."

I said, "What?"

"I haven't seen a yellow card yet," he said.

I said, "Um ... well ...?"

And he said, "Yeah, that's a good thing, because now I'm going to use a card on you."

In plain language he wanted to stab me. The ball came from the throw-in লাম they both jumped to give the head… accidentally my elbow went to his ribs. He fell down and started moaning. When he fell down, I avoided him altogether. I didn't even tell him anything, I just ignored him. I wanted to prove to myself, to him, and to everyone else that it was impossible to shake my self-confidence by saying these things.

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The following season I returned to Tottenham. I talked to our manager Andre Villas-Boer. He wanted to send me back on loan. Some good clubs were interested in me, but that's not my dream. I never dreamed of playing in the Premier League. My dream was to play in the Premier League for the Spurs.

So I told him the truth, "I don't want to go anywhere."

He looked at me in a confused manner. And I muttered what I had to say. I said, “I will prove that I am worthy of being in this team. And if you wish, you can tell me every Friday before the match that I'm not fit to play, and I'm not on the field. There is no problem. But I don't want to leave the team. "

My words came in handy. He gave me the opportunity to practice with the main team - it boosted my confidence even more. I always thought I had the skills, but I had to do something for myself. I felt like my childhood dreams were dancing in front of me… but a little out of reach. But I was waiting, if anyone could help me to touch the dreams! But life does not get everything like this, what does it give? You have to take it.

I was showing great performance in practice, but I was not given a chance in the match. Then he left for the winter and Tim Shearwood took charge of the team - he gave me the chance. Then, as people say, the rest is history. I scored three goals in a row in my first three matches. Everything looked incredible, especially during the first goal in White Heart Lane. But to be honest, everything I went through before the first goal made me what I am today.

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Undoubtedly, when Pachettino sat in the coach's chair, everything changed. Not just me, the whole club. No one else has been as influential in my career as Pachettino, and that doesn't mean he just showed his coaching charisma; He tied the whole team in one thread. He never talked about having a great career as a footballer. Because as a manager he doesn't like to talk about it - one of his tasks is to help the players, those who are doing well, even those who are a little behind. Of course, if you do not work hard, if you are lazy in nature - then you will see the hard side. That's it - you're not playing well, the way to talk to him is closed. But if you respect him, and work hard for him, he will give you plenty of time.

One of my favorite memories is that I scored a hat-trick in a match a few seasons ago, after the match Pachettino called me to his office. We had a good relationship then, but not now. So I was scared, who knows why he called! I went and opened the door… and he was sitting in his office chair with a glass of red wine. Wide smile on his face. Raising his hand, he called me in, and said, "Come in, come in, let's take a picture."

He placed one hand on my shoulder, the other holding a glass of wine, and we took pictures. That moment was great. For the first time in my life, I thought, "Wow, that's a great man." He is a kind man. I have the utmost respect for him, both as a manager and as a coach - but he is also a good friend of mine outside of football. Only for him is our team a soul mate - we are all very good friends, and I don't think that's exactly what football is all about now.

For me, rejection is probably one of the most important things in my life. When I was kicking my boots in the first London Derby match in 2015, the time I spent at the Arsenal youth team at the age of 11 came to light. Just like Deja Vu. There are some scenes that float before my eyes before every match, where I keep going in my head how I am going to score a goal today. "Left-foot curler into the bottom corner. Right-foot volley from the right corner of the box." This is how it is going, this is how I think the scenes in full detail. I was shocked to see the red jerseys of the Arsenal players.

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As I walked through the tunnel, I thought to myself, “OK. It has taken me 12 years. It remains to be seen who was right and who was wrong. ”

I scored two goals that day. One goal was to win the match in 6 minutes. I never dreamed of that moment. The goal was in the head, I think the best goal of my life given from the head.

I remember the fans clapping after the final whistle, and I thought, "Look - I said but."

However, the issue is not with Arsenal, but something bigger than that. It's about proving myself, proving yourself to the family - who have come to believe me at every turn. When I was in Millwell, Norwich and Leicester, I lost faith in myself, but they never disbelieved me.

Many thanks now. Thanks to my fianc, my dad, my mom, my brother Charlie. To Tom Bradley, my teammates, and Pachettino. And of course Tottenham fans. From a young age I dreamed of playing for the Spurs. The only motivation I had for a long time was to close my eyes and imagine I was scoring in Arsenal's net in the Premier League. She did it several years ago, but her memory is still fresh. Now my motivation is a bit different. Now I close my eyes and imagine I am rejoicing with my teammates at our new stadium holding the Premier League trophy.

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I've been wandering around a lot for the last few years about that dream, but there's only one mantra to bridge this gap - and maybe this mantra can be a bit daunting. My father said, “We have to work hard. There is no stopping. Keep up the good work. "

That's right- this is a work in progress.

Come on you Spurs!

This is in Bangla Language. It is a translated article about English Footballer Harry Kane which was published in The Player Tribune in 2018.

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Feature Source:

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/harry-kane-tottenham-zero-to-100