HARRY KANE came close to being released by Tottenham as a kid, the England captain has revealed.
The forward had already been rejected by Arsenal when he joined Spurs' academy in 2004.
His arrival came following a spell with Watford after the Gunners let him go as an eight-year-old two years earlier.
Although he would go on to become the club's record goalscorer, Kane could have left Spurs before even making the first-team.
Speaking during the Three Lions' pre-match press conference on Monday, he explained: "I was eight when I was released by Arsenal. That might have built a bit of desire to prove them wrong.
"And when I first came to Spurs, I was close to being released.
"I was never the guy who everyone thought was going to do what I’ve done.
"I went on loan but still had to fight for my place, fight for the opportunity to show I could play at the level I wanted to.
"There have always been people who doubted me."
Kane was later loaned out four times to Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester before breaking into the side at Spurs.
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He went on to become the club's all-time top scorer, though, with 280 goals in 435 appearances.
Of those strikes, 14 came in North London derbies against bitter rivals Arsenal.
Now playing in Germany for Bayern Munich, Kane will reach another landmark on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old is set to start England's Nations League clash with Finland at Wembley Stadium.
In doing so, he will pick up his 100th senior cap for the Three Lions to move closer to Peter Shilton's record of 125.
Kane has already surpassed Wayne Rooney to become the country's leading goalscorer.
His penalty against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final extended his record tally to 66, having broken Rooney's record 16 months earlier.
And he wants to set the bar even higher.
Asked about getting a ton of international goals, Kane replied: “It is definitely possible. I am in a good place and this is a good target to try to reach.
“Some may see it as unrealistic but I would rather go for it and not quite make it than be comfortable saying, ‘I will be happy with 70 or 80 goals’.”