Harry Kane has said he believes he is in his “physical and mental prime” and reiterated his desire to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo by playing into his 40s.
Ronaldo, 39, scored the 901st goal of his remarkable career as Portugal came from behind to beat Scotland 2-1 on Sunday night.
Kane is set to earn his 100th England cap when the Three Lions take on Finland in a UEFA Nations League clash at Wembley on Tuesday, becoming just the 10th male player to reach that milestone and the first since Wayne Rooney in 2014.
The 31-year-old is already England's all-time leading scorer with 66 goals and will be presented with a golden cap in a special ceremony before kick-off.
However, Kane's individual performances were criticised during England's Euro 2024 campaign and he was substituted in the final against Spain after another disappointing display.
Bayern Munich striker Kane, who will start against Finland, said: “I feel in really good shape. I feel like I'm in the best form of my career, both physically and mentally. Just seeing other players like Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal yesterday and seeing him competing at 38 or 39 years old inspires me to play for as long as possible.”
“I love this game, I love representing England more than anything else and I don't want it to end anytime soon. For me, it's about continuing to improve, being consistent in an England shirt and at club level. Who knows how many games or goals I can score, but I'm hungry for more and I'm determined to keep pushing the boundaries.
“Sometimes it's hard to concentrate while you're still playing and while the moments are coming. I've talked about that before with some of the scoring records, but this is one I'm extremely proud of.
“It shows great consistency over a long period of time. Some of the other players who have achieved this are some of our greatest players of all time. It's something I'm very excited about. My family will be there to enjoy the moment as well. It will certainly be a moment I'll look back on with immense pride when I retire.”
Asked if he knew Ronaldo personally, Kane replied: “No. I met him a couple of times at different events, but he was somebody, both him and me.” [Lionel] Messi, whom I admired growing up.
“They were in their prime, when I was entering my teenage years and probably when I was just starting to get interested in football and really wanted to improve and be better, not just when I loved football. They were both an inspiration to me.
“But I think you just have to have that hunger, that desire and that determination, almost a sense of continuing to prove people wrong and proving to yourself that you can continue to be the best you can be, so that when the day comes that you stop playing, you can be proud of what you've done.
“I try to use different players to motivate me, especially players older than me. Scoring more than 900 goals in your career is an exceptional record and playing until the age he is is really inspiring. I think that helps me and motivates me to know that I have many more years ahead of me at the highest level.”
Lee Carsley confirmed there will be “two or three changes” to the team that beat Ireland 2-0 in his first game as caretaker manager last weekend, but once again refused to say whether he was close to securing the job on a permanent basis.
“I feel like we're one step closer as a team,” he said. “I try not to think about myself too much, to be honest. It's almost meaningless whether it's an issue or not.”
“The best person should get the job. It's an incredible job, there's a great group of players and potential. I know exactly what my role is for the next three camps, so I feel more than comfortable with that.”
