Harry Kane Confirmed as England Captain for 2018 World Cup

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has been confirmed as the England captain for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

The Three Lions broke the news on their Twitter account Tuesday:

The Tottenham Twitter account paid tribute to the 24-year-old:

The appointment caps off what has been another brilliant campaign for the forward. Kane scored 30 Premier League goals in 37 appearances in 2017-18, cementing his status as one of the best strikers in world football.

England manager Gareth Southgate outlined the reasons why he opted for Kane to lead the side in Russia, per Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph:

"Harry has some outstanding personal qualities. He is a meticulous professional, and one of the most important things for a captain is that they set the standard every day. 

"He has belief and high standards, and it is a great message for the team to have a captain who has shown that it is possible to be one of the best in the world over a consistent period of time and that has been his drive.

"My feeling is that over the last 18 months in the camps that he's been with us he has shown that he has got the desire to take that into a team environment and he recognises the importance of bringing others with him."

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Kane has represented his country on 23 occasions and scored 12 goals. He captained the Three Lions for the first time in June 2017 when England drew 2-2 with Scotland at Hampden Park.

While the likes of Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier would've also been in the frame for the accolade, Kane has demonstrated throughout his career that he can be a leader as well as a goalscorer.

As noted by OptaJoe, so often he comes up with crucial contributions for Tottenham when they need it:

Not only does Kane find the back of the net regularly, his game has evolved too. Now he's a complete forward, able to take the ball with his back to goal, bring team-mates into the game and work relentlessly for the cause.

There were some signs towards the end of the season that Kane was feeling the effects of a long campaign, especially after he returned from an ankle injury. That'll be a concern to England supporters, as their star man also struggled to show his best at the UEFA European Championship in 2016.

Kane has made major strides in those two years and has shown this season he's a man with the talent to thrive on the biggest stages in football. Southgate will be hoping the decision to give him the armband will add even more to the game of one of the most lethal strikers in the tournament.