If one soccer superstar has his way, he'll one day grace the Super Bowl as a kicker

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 9 Feb 2026 06:19 CST
5 min read

Super Bowl LX took place on Sunday with the Seattle Seahawks emerging victorious over the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

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Each year it is the biggest day in the United States sporting calendar, and in 2025, 125 million people tuned in to watch the action - with more expected to be confirmed for the 2026 edition.

That doesn't even take into account viewers from around the world.

There's always been mutual respect between NFL players and soccer players and even some athletic crossover.

Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys is one of the best kickers in the NFL, but his path to the top was an unusual one.

The 30-year-old began his career as a professional athlete in the other football game, even making it to Major League Soccer as a first-round draft pick.

"This is an unbelievable moment"

London-born Aden Durde became the first overseas coach to win a Super Bowl after playing a huge role in masterminding Seattle Seahawks' 'darkside defence' 🏉 pic.twitter.com/ma5M07L4Ur
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 9, 2026

Tenner Tessmann, meanwhile, went to Clemson University to play both soccer and American football but an injury crisis at Dallas FC saw him ultimately miss college and instead play in MLS.

Harry Kane - a future NFL star?

One of soccer's true superstars, Harry Kane, has previously expressed a desire to play in the NFL as a kicker.

The Bayern Munich and England star is a huge fan of American football, idolising legendary New England Patriots quarter-back Tom Brady.

Speaking on Good Morning America in 2003, Kane told told presenter and ex-NFL star Michael Strahan:

“It’s [become a kicker] something I want to definitely explore. I know it’ll be a lot of hard work; I’m not expecting to just walk up and start kicking field goals.

“It’ll be a lot of practice, a lot of hard work – but yeah, it’s something I’d love to do. The NFL is something I’ve been following for about 10 years now, and I love it – so I’d love to give it a go.”

He's even been backed to one day play in the NFL and succeed. World Soccer journalist Henry Winter once told BBC 5 Live:

"If I was taking a punt, as it were, I would say that within three years he'll be a kicker in the NFL. He's talked about it, he's big mates with Tom Brady, and it has been done before."

When asked by BBC Sport if Kane has what it takes to succeed in American football, Dustin Colquitt, a Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs, said:

"Absolutely, if he focused on it. He would do fantastic. I've seen some of his finishing skills.

"I would love to actually work with him just because I love soccer, and his excitement. He's seeking this out - that's part of the fibre of his being, that he wants to try this NFL thing."

"[For Kickers] it's one shot, one kill - you've got one shot and you better kill it".

"You only need them when you need them, but they've got to be money when they're counted on."

Field Goals like penalties

Kane is a master goalscorer and an expert penalty taker and he thinks his prowess from the spot may actually serve him well when taking field goals.

"A lot of people can score penalties in training or kick it a long way, but can you do it under pressure when the moment's big, when the game's on the line?" Kane told Gary Neville on the Overlap.

"That aspect is the bit where maybe I have a bit of an advantage over some younger people coming through."

Jason Myers' fifth field goal of the night is a new Super Bowl record.

🎥 @NFL | #SBLX pic.twitter.com/PICgguVqgA
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 9, 2026

Kickers – whose responsibility is to score field goals and the extra point after a touchdown, both of which can prove decisive – regularly play on into their 40s.

Former Patriots and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, for example, was still active in the NFL until just before his 47th birthday – and only officially retired at the ripe old age of 48.

Recently, the NFL has seen athletes from other sports take up kicker positions, including Charlie Smyth who had a career in Gaelic football in Ireland before joining the International Player Pathway Program and becoming the placekicker for the New Orleans Saints.

Kane has been in lethal form his since big-money transfer from Tottenham to Bayern. In the 2025/26 season alone he's scored 38 goals in 33 games - and it's only February.

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