Harry Kane has revealed David Beckham paid a surprise visit to the England camp to offer his support for their World Cup bid.
Former England captain Beckham, who is in Qatar as an ambassador for the tournament, spoke to Kane and other players to try and help them lift the trophy. Kane admitted he tried to tap into Beckham’s knowledge and believes it will help England before their World Cup quarter-final with France on Saturday.
England captain Kane, talking to the Lions' Den YouTube channel, said: "He (Beckham) was here the other day so we had a good chat. He was my biggest idol growing up. He was probably one of our best captains.
"I probably don’t ask questions about games or how it felt, it’s more just getting to know his experiences and how he feels about our team and what he sees in our team. He’s really excited for his national side. He loves watching us play. It’s great to have support from ex-players. They know how it means to represent the country. They are all part of the team."
Tottenham striker Kane admitted England will have to be at their best to overcome France but says the youngsters in the squad are fearless. Kane is also determined to go one better than in 2018, when they reached the semi-finals, and says their experience plus the support of the fans back home and in Qatar can carry them all the way.
Kane added: "We’ve got three more games to go if we want to win the World Cup. We’re recovering really well, preparing well and I think it’s whoever handles that well is going to be champions of the world. We know what it takes, we’ve been there before in 2018, we’re facing a really good team on Saturday but the boys are feeling really good and we want to carry that on.
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"It must be cold back home, we’re in the heat and the adrenalin. When we’re here, we’re like in a little bubble and we love it. We’re doing this for them, we’re it for ourselves and for the country and when you see the fans going crazy in the stadiums, it feels good.
"We’ve had two really good tournaments and now we want to go all the way. It’s great to have that pride and the fans want to push us on to achieve what we want. These guys are fearless, they want to go out and express themselves. I feel like we have a great mix of experience and youth. When you look at the teams which have won tournaments before that’s what they had.
"When these boys play well, I’m always like a proud older brother. I don’t want to say dad that’s a bit too far. I’m 29 and one of the oldest in the team. It’s great to see. We need to go into games with the mentality that we will give everything.
"To win a World Cup, you’re going to have to play the best sides and France are definitely one of those. We have belief. We know what to expect, we are not getting carried away but we know it’s a chance to play in a World Cup semi final."
Kane also says he is determined to beat Wayne Rooney's goal record as he is now just one goal short of equalling it. He said: "I am excited to hopefully do it. But we will have to wait and see. It was nice to get that one yesterday [Sunday] and get one step closer.
"I was lucky to be playing when Wayne broke it. He asked me to present the trophy to him because he said I would go on to do it. To hear that praise from someone I looked up to my whole life, when he said that I thought it was something I could do."
