Mauricio Pochettino: Harry Kane can be Tottenham's very own Francesco Totti

Kane, of course, is a Spurs fan, a Tottenham academy graduate, and well on the way to achieving legendary status in N17

Harry Kane has the chance to prove himself against Real Madrid this week (Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino has backed Harry Kane to be to Tottenham what the great Francesco Totti was to Roma, if he chooses to spend his whole career with his boyhood club.

Totti finally retired this summer after 25 glittering seasons with Roma, his boyhood club, finishing with 786 appearances, 306 goals and one Serie A title to his name.

Totti’s final appearance for Roma, against Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico in May, was a deeply emotional affair, ending with Totti giving a tearful speech to an adoring crowd at the end, further establishing him as Roma’s greatest ever and most-loved player.

Pochettino, speaking at his press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening, revealed that Kane had been emotionally affected by the scenes from Rome, which “generated special motivation” for the 24-year-old striker. Clearly the prospect of playing for Tottenham for another 20 years, and being an equivalent figure in north London to how Totti is seen in Rome, is a very attractive one. Kane, of course, is a Spurs fan, a Tottenham academy graduate, and well on the way to achieving legendary status in N17.

“The most important thing is that he is happy at Tottenham,” Pochettino said, when asked again if Spurs could keep hold of Kane. “Tomorrow, who knows where we are going to be. But he enjoys Tottenham lot, he comes from the academy and he is highly identified with the club. He is a player that likes and gets excited by scoring for Tottenham, he loves to wear the Tottenham shirt. I see a player that identifies with Tottenham’s values, and I hope for the fans and for us, that he stays for a long time. He has great quality and is a model professional to team-mates.”

This is why the Totti example was so affecting for Kane. “He was excited by Totti’s farewell in Rome, that generated special motivation,” he said. “He was so emotional when he saw the last game of Totti for Roma, because he only played in one club. He was very emotional. Maybe Harry Kane can have the same career as Totti.”

Totti established himself as Roma’s greatest ever and most-loved player (Getty ) (Getty)

Whether Kane will stay at Spurs is a pertinent question as he establishes himself as the best centre forward in world football. He is aiming for his third straight Golden Boot award this season and is on the shortlist for the 2017 Ballon d’Or. He is a very plausible future winner of the award that has been shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the last 10 years.

Kane’s rise has not gone unnoticed in Madrid and the Spanish giants are increasingly intrigued by him. His face was on the front page of Madrid football newspaper Marca this morning with a headline “Harry el Fuerte” (Harry the strong). Real paid Tottenham £89m to sign Gareth Bale four years ago and Kane would cost far more than that. Spurs have repeatedly said he is not for sale and he is under contract until 2022.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane would not be drawn on whether Kane could end up playing for him here, saying when asked that he “does not know what is going to happen in the future”.


 The Real manager refused to be drawn on making a move for Kane (Getty)
 (Getty Images)

But Zidane then gave a glowing endorsement of Kane’s evolution as a player, admitting he was surprised by how good he now is. “In the present, what [Kane] is doing has made him a very important player, a key player,” Zidane said. “He is very good at everything. But what he does, he always does it towards the goal, so to speak. He does not just stay [still] on the field, but he always attacks space at speed. He is a complete player. He did not seem to be one, but in the end, he is!”

Pochettino reiterated that he would like to stay at Tottenham for another 10 or 15 years if Levy was happy for him to do so, comments he made in a forthcoming book about his career. “I am very happy at Tottenham and hope I stay 10 or 15 years,” he said. “If [Daniel Levy] wants, I would love to sign that contract. It is always up to him, but I enjoy a lot my time at Tottenham, it is a club with big potential. We are waiting for a new stadium and new facilities that will be the best in Europe.”