Harry Kane: A man on his Odysseus journey

Harry Kane becoming Spurs’ joint top-scorer (Image: Getty Images)

On Sunday the 23rd of January, David Ornstein announced that Harry Kane is open to signing a new contract at Tottenham. This news was met with scrutiny from all corners of social media. They labelled Kane ‘unambitious’, ‘a serial loser’ and even decided that he has ‘over 200 meaningless goals.’

They are wrong. Harry Kane is Odysseus. A winner still on the path to winning. A story comprised of set-back after set-back but goal after goal, Kane’s Tottenham Hotspurs career is like something we’ve never seen before.

The Odyssey is Greek poet, Homer’s epic of Odysseus’ ten-year long struggle to return home following the Trojan War. At a glance, it is the story of a king who is met with harrowing obstacles on his unforgiving journey towards taking his place on the throne.

Odysseus and Kane. Sailors captivated. Carabao Cup final loss. A battle with a cyclops. His penalty miss against France. Encounters with Scylla and Charybdis. One kick away from lifting the European Championships. Punishment by Zeus. The 2018/19 Champions League final. Ending the story as king...

Harry Kane after defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final (Image: Getty Images)

29 years old and trophyless. Isn’t it remarkable that Kane’s name has climbed the steps into the pantheon of all-time English greats. It’s a testament to how unbelievably talented he is, with individual feats that’d put Chris Jericho’s ‘list of 1004 holds’ to shame if written down on a piece of paper.

Kane has a World Cup Golden Boot award, only the second Englishman ever to pick one up. Three Premier League Golden Boot awards; placing him second on the podium with one award less than Thierry Henry. Along with hoovering up individual awards, he loves breaking records. Harry Kane is the England national team and Tottenham Hotspur’s top goalscorer ever. Even without getting his hands on some solid sterling silver, Kane is a hero to millions across England and a messiah to those who pack the seats at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium every other weekend.

The main criticism of Kane extending his stay at Tottenham has been that it lacks ambition from the talisman, that he is staying in his comfort zone with his eyes set on Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal-scoring record. In 2018, Kane wrote an article for the Player’s Tribune in which he said: “I close my eyes and I picture myself lifting the Premier League trophy at our new stadium with my mates.”

Sometimes football can be guilty of over-romanticising things. But Kane’s pending decision to extend his contract isn’t done with the intention of meddling around the Europa League spots picking up 20 goals a season until he breaks Shearer’s record. It’s done with the intention of dragging the club that he loves so dearly, that made but now need him, to that illustrious trophy with a defiant opposition to the death of loyalty in modern football. To have his statues stand tall around North London for centuries after him. Infact, staying at Tottenham is perhaps the most ambitious thing Kane could have done.