England captain Harry Kane will be heading back to his young family on Monday regardless of what happens in the Euro 2020 final, but says it will be even better if football is coming home as well.
Kane will lead the Three Lions into their first major final in 55 years at Wembley on Sunday looking to land a maiden European Championship title.
The 27-year-old has been away from his wife and three children for the best part of six weeks, where contact has been limited to socially distanced meet-ups after games and FaceTime calls.
However things unfold against Italy, Kane will be reunited with his family on Monday and hopes the separation will have been worth it.
"My eldest, she is four and six months, she is still a little bit young, I don't think she understands the magnitude of Sunday night," Kane said.
"Of course she wants me first and foremost to come home, but if football comes home as well we'll all be delighted.
"Of course it's been difficult, it's never easy when you are away from home. Obviously it's been a long time, which is what we wanted, but of course seeing them on FaceTime and not being able to hug my wife after games is difficult.
"But we are professionals, it's part of the job and situation we are in. Obviously we want to make it all worth it by winning on Sunday night."
Kane's goals in the knockout stages – one against Germany, a brace against Ukraine and the extra-time winner against Denmark in the semi-final – sent the Three Lions to the final, where history beckons.
The striker, who looks certain to break his country's goalscoring record, has allowed himself to imagine scoring the goal that wins England the trophy and joining Sir Geoff Hurst in the annals of time.
"I think as a striker of course it is always the moment you dream of, you want to be the one who scores the goal, and the matchwinner in a major game," he said.
"I was fortunate enough to be able to do that in midweek in the semi-final. But obviously, like I've always said, if it's not me who scores it doesn't matter as long as we win.
"But of course Sir Geoff has an amazing moment in history, it is the moment that everyone watches and looks back on.
Wow! We're in the final. Brilliant game. Well done England. Fantastic. #footballscominghome #Euros2021 #ComeOnEngland — Sir Geoff Hurst (@TheGeoffHurst) July 7, 2021
"I'm sure he enjoyed that moment every bit as what he did when he did it back in 1966. Like I say, these occasions are there to take, and to grab, and you have opportunities to create your own history and that's the exciting part of it."
Kane finds himself at a distinct advantage going into the game compared to previous finals he has contested with Tottenham.
The Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019 was his first game back after two months out with an ankle injury and it showed, while he also spent the week before last season's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City recovering from another ankle problem.
"I think I have played three finals in my career and two of them, not a rush, but obviously I picked up a couple of injuries before the game so your focus is more on getting fit maybe than actually on the final itself," he said.
Final time 🦁🦁🦁🏴 pic.twitter.com/uac9XWnxrU — Harry Kane (@HKane) July 10, 2021
"So it's nice to be back in this final free in the mind, coming off scoring for a few games in a row as well. As a striker that's great to have.
"I feel confident, I feel good. I feel like the team is in a really good place, we have a really good self-belief amongst ourselves.
"But of course it's a major final, it's not going to just happen easily. We are going to have to work really hard to pick the performance.
"It's about doing what we have done, doing what we have learned over the last four or five years as a group, being calm in moments and then kind of being ruthless in moments as well.
"And that's what we are going to need tomorrow night against a very good Italian side."
