Diego Maradona’s Elite Advice to Harry Kane When Pair First Met in 2017

• Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane had the honour of meeting Argentine football legend, Diego Maradona, in 2017
• The late Maradona offered the striker some expert advice about how to get the better of his opponents to score more goals
• Kane has since beaten off any claims of being a one-season wonder to become one of the greatest strikers in the modern game

Harry Kane’s brilliance in front of goal could possibly go down to the elite advice he received from Diego Maradona.

In 2017, when Kane was still at Tottenham Hotspur, Maradona was a guest of the club a day prior to the North Londoners’ game against Liverpool.

Thanks to strings pulled by Spurs’ Argentine boss, Mauricio Pochettino, and one of the club’s legends, Ossie Ardiles, Kane and France goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, had a brief interaction with the 1986 World Cup winner, who offered some solid advice to the England forward, who was only 24 at the time.

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Maradona’s command of English was not the best, but that did not stop him from communicating with the Tottenham forward about how best to beat the goalkeeper.

"Don't always go near [the] post with your shots," the former Napoli forward passionately told Kane.

"Go across goal sometimes. You know why? Goalkeepers watch you on TV all the time. So next time... across!"

Kane must have drawn inspiration from Maradona, as he scored twice in his side’s 4-1 demolition of Liverpool in their next Liverpool game.

Asked whether meeting Maradona was an inspiration, the English star said, per talkSPORT:

"Yes, definitely. That’s what it’s about, meeting these people, feeling their good positive vibes and using that in my game.”

It was interesting to watch the Argentina legend receive a good reception in England, especially after his infamous ‘Hand of God’, which knocked The Three Lions out of the World Cup.

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Harry Kane's career stats

Considered one of the best strikers of his generation, Harry Kane has an outrageous record in the Premier League.

Before a sensational move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, he made 320 appearances in the English top flight, scoring 213 goals, according to the Premier League website. Only Alan Shearer has scored more goals (260).

In Germany, the forward had a season to remember, winning the Bundesliga Golden Boot and netting 44 goals in 45 appearances for the Bavarians.

When did Maradona pass away?

On November 25 2020, the football world was plunged into mourning after learning of the passing of Maradona, who died of heart failure and pulmonary edema.

At the time of his death, he was recuperating from brain surgery at home in the Buenos Aires suburbs. Weeks after his passing, the icon was honoured by Napoli, who renamed their stadium after Maradona.

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Comparing Victor Osimhen and Diego Maradona

Sports Brief also previously made an in-depth comparison of how Maradona compares to Victor Osimhen at Napoli.

In March 2024, the Super Eagles star matched a record held by the Argentine icon despite a challenging campaign.

His best season for Napoli came in 2022/23, where he scored 31 goals in 39 matches, including 26 goals in Serie A.