England captain Harry Kane said on Wednesday that he is considering a future as an American football player later in his career, with a potential spell in the NBA helping him complete that transition.
Kane had previously expressed interest in playing golf and American football. Now, the 33-year-old is thinking more seriously about his future in the AFL, although he stressed that any potential move to the United States is still several years away.
“This is something I will try to look at more seriously,” Kane told reporters at the England national team’s training camp in Burton upon Trent.
He added: “It all depends on what happens in my career over the next five or six years. "The NFL is a much more realistic option than golf, let's put it that way."
The Bayern Munich striker said his experience taking penalties could give him an edge to kick the ball in the NFL, although switching between the two sports will require serious preparation.
He said: “I take penalty kicks, and there is a great similarity in pressure and style of play. In terms of training, I will be closer to that than any other sport.”
He added: “But, as with all elite sports, when you see it on TV, people think it looks easy and you think it is possible, but that is not always the case.
If I'm going to do that, I'm going to take it seriously. "I'll need maybe six months to a full year of training before that."
Keane also noted that a move to the NFL might provide a way to combine the two sports.
“Maybe if I join the NBA in the future or somewhere similar, it could be an opportunity to connect the two sports, perhaps through (connecting) seasons,” he said.
There are already examples of footballers making this transition. Dallas Cowboys NFL player Brandon Oubre was among the players selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft, but he has never made any official appearances with the first team.
Jake Betts also played college football before becoming a player for the NFL's Detroit Lions.
However, Kane's immediate future remains in football, as negotiations over a new contract with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are progressing and an announcement is expected soon.
“The negotiations are going well,” Kane said. There are still some things we need to settle. I'm happy there. "I think it won't be long before an announcement is made."
Germany coach Jurgen Klopp refused to make any promises to achieve titles on Wednesday, but made it clear that signs of improvement must be apparent when he faces the Netherlands national team in the first match under his leadership in the European Nations League on Thursday.
The former Liverpool coach took over from Julian Nagelsmann in July, following Germany's shock exit from the 2026 World Cup.
Nagelsmann had said after exiting the quarter-finals in the 2024 European Championship that he was sad because he would have to wait two years to lift the World Cup, an expectation that came back to haunt him when his team exited the tournament at the hands of Paraguay this summer.
Klopp was asked about his statement at the beginning of his career with Liverpool when he stated that he would likely win a title if he continued in his position after four years. He then succeeded in winning a series of titles, including the English Premier League and the European Champions League.
Klopp was more cautious on Wednesday, as he said in a press conference in the capital, Amsterdam: “I do not want to promise anything.” What I can say is we will try and that's what it comes down to now. “This is our location at the moment.”
Germany, the four-time world champion, was eliminated early from the last three World Cups, and has not tasted success in major tournaments since lifting its last World Cup title in 2014.
Klopp raised eyebrows earlier this week when he announced two separate squads for two groups of two matches in the coming days, as part of rebuilding the national team before the 2028 European Championship.
Klopp said: “I am responsible for the first team and my mission is to develop football there so that we are able to compete and win every match we play. It won't work every day but we're working on it. “Hopefully we can actually see some things tomorrow.”
He added: “We need to take steps, and the players are ready for that.”
After visiting the Netherlands on Thursday, Germany will host Greece on Sunday and Serbia on October 1, before traveling to face Greece three days later.
The features of the starting lineup that Roberto Mancini will adopt in Italy's first match in the European Nations League against Belgium are clear, as Francesco Pio Esposito, Nicolo Zaniolo and Daniel Maldini are expected to lead the attack.
The match will be held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Friday at 19:45 UK time (20:45 Central European Summer Time).
The group also includes France and Turkey, who will face each other in the other match scheduled for the same day.
Mancini intends to adopt a 4/3/3 plan, but he faces options imposed on him, given the absence of Federico Demarco, Brian Cristante and Marco Balestra due to injury, in addition to the suspension of Alessandro Bastoni.
Inter striker Pio Esposito is still the most prominent candidate, compared to Moise Kean, to lead the attacking line, but there are many options available to complete the attacking trio.
According to the Corriere dello Sport newspaper, Zaniolo, on the right side, and Maldini, on the left side, appear to be the most likely options, instead of Nicolo Cambiaghi and Giacomo Raspadori.
This is a big step for Zaniolo, who has completely missed national team call-ups for the past two years.
It seems that the midfield has been decided, as Alessandro Romano will participate in his first match with the Italian national team in place of Samuele Ricci, surrounded by two of the old guard Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali.
Riccardo Calafiore can finally follow his approach with Arsenal by playing in the left defender position instead of central defence, while ensuring the participation of Gianluca Mancini as well.
The only remaining doubts are the comparison between Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Michael Kayode to fill the right defender position, as the veteran Napoli player is the most likely candidate. As for the defensive depth, it will depend largely on Giorgio Scalvini’s physical readiness.
If the Atalanta defender is not ready, Diego Coppola may replace him.
