Harry Kane Talks England, Self-Belief and Mental Preparation at Euro 2016

Harry Kane is wearing England's No. 9 shirt at Euro 2016 and knows there is huge expectation attached to leading the line for the Three Lions.

Kane, 22, believes a positive mental attitude is key to success in his position and has explained exactly how it feels to be at the European Championship on the back of two super seasons for Tottenham.

Question: It has been a season where team ethic and self-belief have been extremely important to success in the Premier League. Can England learn from that?

Harry Kane: "Definitely, I think we can take a lot from what we have seen working this season. Self-belief is a big thing. If you don't believe in yourself, then not many other people are going to believe in you.

"I have always had to take that into my game, and I think it's something the team can use as well.

"You need to have that belief in a team, and if we are going to do great things, we have to have that in this tournament."

Q: Have you had to prove yourself to get to where you want to be?

HK: "Definitely. I have always said that hard work and self-belief have been two very important things for me along the way. There will always be ups and downs, but as long as you know you have got what takes to make it, you should be able to do it."

Q: Do you remember training sessions where you had to stand out when you were younger?

HK: "Yeah, I am a late birthday, end of July, so that has always meant I was one of the younger ones in any team I played in. It was always important for me to prove a point that I could be with people older than me in my year and also the year above that."

Q: People are going to be looking to you for goals this summer. How do you feel about that responsibility?

HK: "I like it when people expect big things of me. I'm excited. As a striker, you want to score goals, and I will go there expecting to score goals."

Q: How do you keep your belief?

HK: "Well, when people doubt you, you have to use it to your advantage. It's up to you to prove them wrong. We all work hard, and there is a lot of strain involved, but as long as you focus on showing what you can do, you can achieve exactly what you want to."

Q: A great example of that is the fact you have scored over 20 goals in successive seasons...

HK: "Exactly. After about the first nine games of last season, I only had one goal, and people were doubting me. People were talking, saying I was a one-season wonder, but I had kind of expected that. I always knew I would score goals, though, and in the end, I did score goals. To win the Golden Boot proved a lot of people wrong."

Q: So what inspires you?

HK: "To be the best I can be and not to let myself and my family down. I try to keep a level head.

"I think you have to enjoy your football, and if you are not smiling, you won't be playing that well. But also when it comes to competition—you want to win.

"I'm a winner, and that's the case no matter what I'm doing. If it was a race in the playground or if I'm playing tennis with my brother, I always want to win. That mode always sets in no matter what I'm doing."

Q: It's been a quick turnaround from being a young player breaking through to being a role model for other young players...

HK: "I like being that kind of figure and having that responsibility. Of course, it has all happened quite quickly for me.

"It is hard to get to be playing in the Premier League—but it is even more difficult to maintain that and stay at the top level when people are trying to get your place or work out your game to stop you. So that's something I need to work on in future years, but if I keep scoring more than 20 goals a season, it won't be a bad thing."

Q: It has been such a rise that Teddy Sheringham has tipped you for the Golden Boot at the Euros...

HK: "Yeah, no pressure then! But it shows that people are expecting big things of me now, and that is how I want people to think of me.

"Even going back to the game against Turkey recently, I scored and we won, but for me, that still wasn't enough.

"In the past, I would probably have thought that marked a good game, but I feel the expectation where perhaps I should score two or even three goals in a game like that. It's good to have that pressure, and if people are looking for big things from me, then I must be doing something right."

Q: Do you have any influences from other sports?

HK: "I am a big NFL fan, and Tom Brady is someone I have always admired. He was doubted when he got drafted, and I have watched videos on how he dealt with that, and I've also seen what he has gone on to achieve, being probably the greatest ever in his sport. He is a role model of mine and someone I look up to."

What are your triggers to spark brilliance?

HK: "In the warm-up, we do a finishing drill, and I'll know my levels from that. Just from the contact I am making on the ball and the movement I am making, so I always take that into account, and if I'm not on it, I know that I am going to have to do a little bit extra before the game starts. That might just be down to visualisation and focusing in.

"But if I have warmed up and feel bang on, I just want the game to start. I know when I'm ready to take the first chance that falls to me."

Preparing for a big match...

Q: What is your preparation the night before?

HK: "The night before a game, it is all about getting an early night. I think a lot about the game, so I constantly picture different scenarios I may find myself in in front of goal.

"Of course most of the time, it doesn't happen, but it is something I have always done to make sure I am prepared.

"I will get a good night's sleep. I have never really had a problem with that. I fall asleep quite easily even ahead of big games."

Q: The day of the game?

HK: "After a good rest, I'll wake up and think through some more scenarios while listening to a bit of music. To be honest, I get excited about games as opposed to being nervous. I just want to get out there."

Q: Arriving at the ground?

HK: "If I have headphones on when you see me getting off the team bus, I'll probably be listening to R&B, anything from the Usher kind-of era.

I'm not in charge of the dressing room music, though, that's usually down to Joe Hart. He has a few mixes he puts on—some are good, some are OK. He doesn't mix them himself, though!"

Q: Walking onto the pitch?

HK: "Once it comes to walking down the tunnel and starting the game, everything becomes natural. You go into a zone where you are making movements and runs and you don't have much time to think about it. Then in a split second, a ball falls to you, and you don't have time to think."

Q: While you're out there?

HK: "Every game seems to go pretty quick to me—apart from the ones where you score in the first minute and have to hold on!"

Harry Kane trains and plays for England in Nike Football apparel with AeroSwift technology and the Spark Brilliance Pack Hypervenom II. Explore the England collection on Nike.com.