13 September 2023 , 12:48
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Bayern Munich star Harry Kane has made no secret of his desire to potentially star in the NFL in the future and he has a host of examples he can follow.
The England captain is a self-confessed lover of all things American football and has even struck up a friendship with Tom Brady in recent times. His admiration for the sport is so pronounced that he has even admitted that he would not rule out a career in the sport.
Of course, given his reputation as one of European football's most gifted marksmen, his skillset may be best suited to eventually becoming a kicker. Known for his accurate shooting and excellence from the penalty spot, it is not lost on the ex-Tottenham man that he could be of use in the NFL.
Speaking previously about the prospect of transitioning to American football in the future, the 30-year-old has already backed himself to have the right credentials. In an interview with J. J. Watt for NFL UK, he said: "Of course, there's a lot of technically very gifted players and in NFL kicking, a lot of players can kick it far and high.
"But I guess it all comes down to who can handle the pressure the best and I feel like the more I watch it, the more I see that, you know, in the big situations. Of course, there's a lot of technically very gifted players and in NFL kicking, a lot of players can kick it far and high."
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The good news for Kane is that there is some precedent in this regard, with several past and present NFL players having switched sports from soccer. Perhaps understandably, all of those examples have become kickers - with the vast majority having been outfield players in their original discipline.
Among the previous soccer stars to have played in the NFL include Brandon Aubrey, Horst Mühlmann, Obed Ariri, Toni Fritsch, Toni Linhart, Chris Bahr, Neil O’Donoghue, Matt Bahr and Josh Lambo. From this list, the most current examples are Aubrey and Lambo, who have competed in the NFL in recent years.
Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys previously was a professional football before switching sports. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)In the case of Aubrey, he is now a kicker for the Dallas Cowboys and missing just one kick on his debut against the New York Giants on Sunday. He was drafted by his current employers this year after previously playing as a youth team footballer for MLS side Toronto FC, as well as USL outfit Bethlehem Steel.
When it comes to Lambo, there is no doubting his impact in the NFL across spells as a placekicker for San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers), Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans. He too previously was on the books at MLS team FC Dallas but failed to make an appearance for the side before switching to American football.
Neither player quite had the impact that Kane has had for club and country during his football career in Europe but they do go to show that a transition to the sport is possible.
Josh Lambo had a long NFL career after switching sports from soccer as a youngster (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)England's all-time leading goalscorer feels he might be able to offer an x-factor in pressurised situations that younger kickers may lack. The striker regularly was the designated penalty taker for former club Tottenham down the years as well as his national team.
"I guess it all comes down to who can handle the pressure the best and I feel like the more I watch it, the more I see that, you know, in the big situations. A lot of times the game goes down to a last minute field goal, last second field goal.
"So I'd like to think kind my experience of dealing with that in soccer would put me maybe at an advantage compared to some of the other guys who haven't had that experience, maybe coming out of college or things like that. I guess that's the I'm banking on."