England and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane has been given backing to start an NFL career when he turns 35.
Kane celebrated his 100th appearance for the Three Lions in style, scoring both of England’s goals in the match a comfortable 2-0 victory over Finland in the League of Nations.
But at 31, Kane knows all too well that he is probably closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
Their trophy drought is also well documented, having finished as runners-up six times in finals for club and country.
However, Kane is hoping to defy conventional wisdom when it comes to prolonging his career and was keen to mention the NFL legend Tom Brady during Monday’s press conference.
Brady, considered the greatest quarterback of all time, was 43 when he won his seventh Super Bowl in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and retired two years later.
Speaking on talkSPORT ahead of England’s clash against Finland, talkSPORT’s Henry Winter discussed the England captain’s admiration for Brady’s “longevity and total dedication”, which is what Harry Kaneis about’.
Winter then made the bold suggestion that Kane could build a career of his own in the same sport Brady dominated for decades.
And maybe we won’t have to wait long for that to become a reality.
“I think Harry Kane will be a kicker in the NFL when he’s 35,” Winter told talkSPORT.
“He’s 31 now. I think he’ll obviously have fun at Bayern Munich, win some things there. But I can seriously see him doing that.”
Winter added: “I can honestly see Harry Kane doing it because he loves America and he loves kicking in the NFL. He’s talked about it before and I’m sure Tom Brady could open some doors for him.”
Kane wouldn’t be the first footballer to swap the round ball for a pigskin one.
A former Austrian League forward named Toni Fritsch won three titles with Rapid Vienna in the 1960s before moving to America and joining the Dallas Cowboys as a kicker.
Fritsch won a Super Bowl in his first season with Dallas and was even selected to the Pro Bowl in 1979.
Kane, who has two dogs named after NFL quarterbacks Brady and Russell Wilson, has also not been shy about his ambitions to become a kicker.
In 2019, the 31-year-old told ESPN he would ‘definitely like to try’ and become a kicker in the next ‘ten or 12 years’.
Kane doubled down on the claim in 2023, admitting it would take a lot of effort but would hopefully be worth it.
“It’s something I definitely want to explore” Kane told Good Morning America.
“I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work. I don’t expect to just show up and start shooting field goals. It’s going to be a lot of practice, a lot of hard work.
“But yeah, it’s something I’d love to do. The NFL is something I’ve been following for about ten years, and I love it, so I’d love to give it a try.”