England star Harry Kane has discussed how he'll approach taking on German counterparts at Euro 2024 next summer
(Image credit: Getty Images)
England captain Harry Kane has revealed exclusively to FourFourTwo how he'd feel about playing against Germany – the country he now lives in – at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions and Die Mannschaft are both confirmed for the tournament next summer. England have recently qualified as group winners ahead of Italy, while Germany are set to host the tournament.
With Kane now playing for Bayern Munich, we recently asked him about the prospect of playing players that he knows so well from club level.
Thomas Muller and Harry Kane have bonded at Bayern (Image credit: Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
“Whether we have to play the Germans or not, the focus is to try to win the European Championship,” Kane diplomatically tells FFT. “So we’ll have to wait and see if that happens. When you’re playing against club team-mates it’s always a bit of a strange game, but it’s something I’ve got used to more over the years, playing international football.”
“Germany are still one of the best teams in Europe,” he declares, with the air of a British ambassador on official duty. “The Euros will be tough, whether or not we end up facing the hosts. But we’ve played them before and we know we can expect them to refocus and challenge for the trophy.”
Kane is, of course, referring to the Euro 2020 quarter-finals in which he scored the suckerpunching second goal – not long after Thomas Muller missed a glorious chance to equalise. So, has Kane spoken to his new pal Muller about that Euro 2020 game yet?
Harry Kane scored against Germany at Euro 2020 (Image credit: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
“No, I haven’t felt like bringing that one up,” chuckles Kane. “And I’m sure none of my new team-mates would enjoy it being discussed, so it might have to be kept quiet, that one...”
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Still, getting to play with England every few months must feel like nice familiarity for a player who has just left the nest.
“It was good to see all of the lads and they asked how things were going, which was nice,” he continues. “I had a little catch-up with Jude Bellingham about living in Germany, as he’s been through some similar experiences to me. It was fun to hear his stories about playing in the Bundesliga.”
Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
