It is July 10 2024, a couple of hours after goals from Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins have taken England past the Netherlands in Dortmund and into the final of Euro 2024.
asserted
goals → take → Euro
In the Dorint Hotel, the other side of a dual carriageway from the Westfalenstadion, a group of fans, some in England shirts, are sitting in the lobby bar.
asserted
group → sit → bar
They see a couple of us sitting by ourselves at another table and invite us over.
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couple → see → us
They talk about Kane’s life in Munich and their lives in Essex, their favourite pubs, favourite places to eat.
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They → talk → Essex
They talk a little about some of the criticism Kane is attracting but they hold no bitterness.
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they → talk → bitterness
It is two hours well spent.
asserted
It → spend → ?
I thought of them when I got around to seeing Dear England, the play written by James Graham, which won rave reviews for its portrayal of Gareth Southgate as football’s answer to Jesus Christ but whose characterisation of Kane as a dolt and a bore was so crass and crudely drawn that it spoilt the play.
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it → think → play
I thought of them when I saw Kane criticised for making the move from Spurs to Bayern Munich and then failing to win the Bundesliga in his first season.
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Kane → think → season
I thought of them when people laughed that he would never win a trophy.
asserted
he → think → trophy
I thought of them a few weeks ago when I read that Lamine Yamal had dismissed Kane’s claims to winning the Ballon d’Or, the sport’s most prestigious individual honour, and had fed into the star culture that pervades the game by saying the battle for it should be between him and Kylian Mbappe.
uncertain
battle → think → him
‘I honestly believe there are two of us who are the best in the world, and this year I’d deserve it because of what I’ve won,’ Yamal said in an interview clip shared by Spanish streaming platform Movistar.
asserted
Yamal → believe → Movistar
As far as I’m concerned, Mbappe and I are the two best in the world.
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Mbappe → concern → world
It’s clear to me, and everyone who watches the matches knows it.
asserted
who → ’ → it
The Bayern Munich and England star is a model professional as well as a superb goal-scorer
Kane thanked his wife Kate, describing her as his 'best friend' and 'my biggest supporter'
But most of all, I thought of them late on Monday night when I sat in the audience at the London Palladium in the heart of London’s West End and watched Kane walk up to the stage to take that prize ahead of both Yamal and Mbappe and become the first Englishman for 25 years to be named the best footballer in the world.
asserted
Kane → thank → world
It was the moment that justified the way he has conducted himself throughout a career that started with him scrapping his way through loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City before he nailed down a place in the Spurs first team.
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he → justify → team
‘My journey has not been a straightforward one,’ Kane said on that stage in front of an audience of yelling kids and raucous fans.
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Kane → say → kids
'For any young boy wanting to achieve their dreams, and hoping to learn through resilience, determination and self-belief, I hope this can give you inspiration.'
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this → want → inspiration
It was a pitch-perfect speech that combined the emotion that spilled out when he thanked his parents and his wife and the care and the loyalty that came with a heartfelt thank you to Tottenham for ‘believing in me and my dreams.’
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that → combine → me
It was the moment that told him that he had been right to dedicate himself to the game completely and that all the years of being a fine role model to young players in the sport and to fans who idolised something they saw in him had been worth it.
asserted
they → tell → him
It was the moment that said that football is capable of handing the highest honours to men like him, who have not sought the limelight or courted controversy or abused their fame or hired performers with dwarfism to decorate your 18th birthday party, as Yamal is alleged to have done, but have dedicated themselves to a career of quiet excellence.
asserted
Yamal → say → excellence
He received the award from Brazil icon Ronaldo after beating Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe
Kane, pictured embracing Women's Ballon d'Or winnger Alexia Putellas, justified the way he has conducted himself throughout his career by winning football's top individual prize
And it was the moment that told him that scoring a remarkable 61 goals for Bayern in a single season, leading England to the brink of a World Cup final and extending his astonishing goalscoring record with his country so that he now boasts 91 goals in 125 caps counts for what it should.
asserted
it → receive → should
It is not a win for the Premier League because Kane plies his trade in the Bundesliga now but it is a win for English players.
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it → ply → players
It asks more questions about Thomas Tuchel’s attempt to pin the blame on England’s World Cup exit on the poor technique of English players.
asserted
It → ask → players
In Kane and Jude Bellingham, England have players with Rolls-Royce technique.
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England → have → technique
He is a player admired for more than just his football.
asserted
He → admire → football
He is admired for what he stands for on and off the pitch.
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he → admire → pitch
He is a player who plays the game with respect and dignity as well as sublime skill.
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who → play → respect
‘The Ballon d’Or,’ its rules suggest, ‘is awarded based on three criteria, in order of importance: 1. Individual performances, decisive and impressive character.
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rules → suggest → performances
The truth is that for everything he has achieved, Kane has been underrated for much of his career.
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Kane → achieve → career
Because the truth is also that he is, alongside Jimmy Greaves, the greatest goalscorer England has ever produced but also a player who proves again and again that he is far more than a goalscorer.
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he → produce → goalscorer
Kane is the complete centre forward, a man who scores and scores and scores for Bayern, but whose passing ability and brilliant technique makes him stand out amid his competitors.
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him → score → competitors
He and Jude Bellingham drove England on and on at the World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the US last summer.
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He → drive → Mexico
He is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
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He → win → 2001
Only four of his compatriots, Sir Stanley Matthews(1956), Sir Bobby Charlton(1966), Kevin Keegan(1978 and 1979), and Owen, have been awarded the honour.
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four → award → honour
Denis Law(1964) and George Best(1968), are the only other British players to have won.
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Law(1964 → win → ?
Kane was warned when he left Spurs that the move would cost him his shot at immortality because it would end his chances of overhauling Alan Shearer’s mark of 260 goals that makes him the leading scorer in Premier League history.
asserted
him → warn → history
The striker’s move to Bayern Munich from Tottenham in 2023 has paid off handsomely
Kane is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen (right) in 2001
Those warnings may have been right but think of what Kane has gained.
uncertain
Kane → pay → what
Think of how much he has been rewarded for that move.
asserted
he → think → move
Maybe the chance of the league record has gone but Kane’s name is now written in football history alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Zinedine Zidane.
asserted
name → go → Messi
Kane’s victory is a victory for a player who has done things the right way, a player who is not a raging narcissist like Ronaldo, a player who is understated and unassuming, a player who is the ultimate professional, who has done everything to maximise his talents and devote himself to the game and who is now reaping the rewards.
asserted
who → do → rewards
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
