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Analysis
- 4 hours ago
Harry Kane represents a 'dream' acquisition for MLS
MLS commissioner Don Garber says Harry Kane moving to the top competition in the United States would represent a "dream fulfilment."
The England forward is one of the best players in the world at the moment and, following a remarkable season in which he scored 73 goals, he remains one of the leading contenders to win the Ballon d'Or.
At 33, though, the Bayern Munich star has been thinking about his future recently and even revealed a desire to one day play in the NFL as a kicker.
"That is something I will try and look at a bit more seriously," Kane said. "It all depends on what happens in my career over the next five or six years, the motivation and what I want to do.
"I take penalties and it is a very similar pressure, technique. If I did that, in terms of training, I would be closer to that more than any other sport.
"But as I know with all elite sports, when you watch it on TV people make it look easy you think it is possible but that is not always the case.
"If I was to do it, it is something I would take seriously. I would take maybe six months to a year of trying to practice before."
The Englishman admitted that he had not been approached by any NFL team about a future contract but he believes if he made the switch to MLS that a late career playing American football may be on the cards.
"Maybe if I am in the MLS in the future or somewhere like that it might be a thing where you could connect the two maybe with the seasons," he said.
"But, again, it is in the back of my mind because right now I am feeling that I want to play as long as I can here.
"I think sometimes it is easy, you to get to my age, 33, you start thinking about retirement or the future, but I am trying to extract everything I can from the last two, five or 10 years, I will keep going."
Those words came as music to the ears of Garber, who is proud that the MLS is now at a level to attract players like Kane and, of course, Lionel Messi.
"I'd love for him to do that," MLS commissioner Garber said. "I think, for me, it is the fulfilment of the dream that we had to build a proper soccer league that would drive a soccer nation. That sounds colloquial but actually we have that written down.
"We wanted to create something that would have the Harry Kanes of the world say 'I'd kind of like to play in MLS.' And I think Messi proved that.
"That was a competitive process, working to ensure that we had a dynamic that would be better than going back to Barca, working a dynamic that would not have him want to play in Saudi Arabia.
"Play in Miami, have them be able to build a new stadium and have him set records and be an MVP, and then have an unbelievable goodbye [this week] from his international career."
Messi retired from international football this week in a glamour friendly in Buenos Aires but will remain with Inter Miami until he decides to retire from club football, too.