As the audience filtered out of the London Palladium at The Best FIFA Awards in 2017, Harry Kane lingered at the back, staring at the stage. The scene before him was a scramble for selfies and autographs from adoring fans catching a close-up glimpse in person of the FIFPro World XI, which that year included Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Kane has aspired to be considered in the same breath as the game's greats for years. English football sometimes has a habit of overhyping its own, but Kane invited those comparisons out of a relentless desire for self-improvement.