By Lori Ewing
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 19 (Reuters) – England captain Harry Kane says soaking in the sound of thousands of England fans belting out Oasis song “Wonderwall” after their 4-2 World Cup victory over Croatia this week was a highlight of his career.
“That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt and especially at a major tournament,” he told England’s in-house show the Lions’ Den.
“I know it’s just the first game and we’re not getting carried away, but that emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them,” Kane added.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has repeatedly stressed the importance of forging a strong bond within the squad.
The 32-year-old Kane said the squad, who have all grown up as fans, were determined to provide more special moments at the World Cup.
“I think they see how much it means to us. We have that connection right now, but that moment, singing ‘Wonderwall’ in the stadium — everyone knew the words — was really special,” he said.
“We know back home is the same, we know there would be plenty of beer getting thrown around, with it being a night game, so we love that stuff.”
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Tuchel is building on the framework previous manager Gareth Southgate began at the 2018 World Cup, when he transformed the culture of the England team, repairing a historically fractured relationship with the media, and generated a surge in positive public support.
“You can see the hunger, the desire and excitement from the players to be part of what could be a special summer,” Kane said of this year’s squad.
“There’s real competition for places, but no negativity, just a shared focus on performing when called upon.”
Kane matched childhood hero David Beckham’s record with 115 international appearances for England on Wednesday.
“David sent me a nice voice note before the game and after the game,” said Kane. “He just congratulated me on getting to 115. He said he knows how hard it is to be that consistent and to reach that many caps.”
Kane’s two goals against Croatia also took him level with Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals for England.
He said he was inspired by the performances of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who opened his World Cup with a hat-trick, and Norway’s Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe of France, who kicked off their tournaments with two goals each.
“Obviously I saw the guys scoring their goals and I don’t like to concentrate too much on other people,” he said after the game. “But I think it’s natural – as a sportsman, as an athlete – to try and reach the highest levels and obviously all those guys started in a great way.”
Kane and several teammates attended the Kansas City Royals game on Thursday evening, where Tuchel threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
England continue their Group L campaign against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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