England captain Harry Kane says he is inspired by the relentless goal-scoring of Cristiano Ronaldo as he prepares to win his 100th cap.
Kane – now aged 31 – will bring up his century of England appearances in a Nations League game against Finland on Tuesday night at Wembley.
England’s record scorer received criticism about his performances for the national team during this summer’s Euros but the Bayern Munich striker says Ronaldo – who scored his 901st career goal at the age of 39 on Sunday night against Scotland – shows that Kane can keep playing and scoring at the highest level for many years yet.
“I feel in really good shape, physically and mentally at a peak in my career,” said Kane. “Watching [Cristiano] Ronaldo score his 901st goal aged 39 inspires me to play for as long as possible. I love representing England more than anything and I don’t want it to end any time soon.
“It’s just about continuing to improve and be consistent. Who knows how many caps or goals I can get but I’m hungry for more.”
Asked about Ronaldo being an inspiration, Kane said: “[Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi were people I looked up to growing up, they were in their prime when I was in my teenage years.
“Both of them were inspirations to me. To have that hunger and desire and determination and the sense to keep proving people wrong and prove to yourself you can be the best you can be…
“I try to use different players to motivate me. To score over 900 goals in your career is an exceptional record, to play until the age he is is really inspiring.”
When it was pointed out in the press conference that Ronaldo remains a striker, rather than a player who has dropped deep as he’s got older, Kane said he felt he could continue to play any role demanded of him.
“It depends on circumstance, managers, systems,” said Kane.
Caoimhin Kelleher beats Harry Kane to clear a dangerous cross
“I’ve always been someone who can play high or drop deep. I’ve got enough of an all-round game to be effective in both areas.
“For me it’s about being better with Bayern with the new coach, a lot of high-intensity pressing, high pressure situations without the ball which is helping me improve. Football in general is becoming more that style, man-for-man pressure and it’s something you have to be able to cope with.”
Kane set to join England greats in 100 club
Kane will be the 10th player to reach 100 England caps and the first since Wayne Rooney a decade ago.
Peter Shilton, surprisingly the only goalkeeper on the list, won a record 125 caps, with Rooney five behind.
David Beckham and Steven Gerrard played 115 and 114 times respectively and World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore 108.
Ashley Cole, Sir Bobby Charlton, Frank Lampard and Billy Wright are the other centurions.
Kane has captained England 72 times and played 81 games with Gareth Southgate as manager, 16 under Roy Hodgson and one each under Sam Allardyce and current interim boss Lee Carsley.