UK Edition
Harry Kane admits need to 'prove Arsenal wrong' has inspired goalscoring heroics
Tottenham striker Harry Kane has revealed Arsenal's decision to release him as an 8-year-old in 2002 left him with a 'chip on my shoulder' and a strong desire to prove the club wrong.
Kane was reflecting on his early career as a schoolboy after he brought up his 100th Premier League goal in Tottenham's dramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
In a letter written in the Players' Tribune to mark the personal milestone, Kane admitted that for a long time his main motivation was scoring against Arsenal in the Premier League.
"After Arsenal, I bounced around a bit and went back to play for my local team, and then I was spotted by a scout from Watford who offered me a trial," wrote Kane.
"It’s funny how things work out, as it was after playing for Watford against Tottenham that I got the opportunity to join Tottenham’s youth academy. The white kit fit better on me, I think.
“I remember the first time we played against Arsenal [for Tottenham’s academy team] and even back then, I had a chip on my shoulder.
“It might sound ridiculous. I was only eight when they let me go, but every time we played them, I thought, ‘Alright, we’ll see who’s right and who’s wrong’.
“Looking back on it now, [being released by Arsenal] was probably the best thing that ever happened to me because it gave me a drive that wasn’t there before. “
"For me, the rejection is the best thing that ever happened to me. I remember walking round the pitch after the final whistle and clapping to the fans and it felt like, ‘well, I told you so’.
“We were in the tunnel, and I thought, ‘Okay took me 12 years, but we’ll see who was right and who was wrong.
“I scored two that day, and the winner in the 86th minute was something that I’d never even dream of visualising before a match.
“It was a header, probably the best header I’ve ever scored and that feeling when it hit the back of the net, I’ve never felt a rush like that in my whole career.”
“I dreamed of playing for Spurs since I was a boy. For a long time my motivation was simply to close my eyes and picture myself scoring against Arsenal in the Premier League."
Asked whether he is targeting 200 goals as his next milestone, Kane said: "That has to be the aim."
“Hopefully I can get better and better. I am 24 years old, that's not young but it's not old so I've still got a lot of learning to do. I feel I am getting more experience year by year and I feel I am getting stronger and more physical and hopefully that just continues. I will always keep trying to work hard and get better and hopefully that will be the case," he added.