Harry Kane an England great but must avoid becoming the Colin Montgomerie of football

Harry Kane likened Euro 2024 to a major golf championship earlier in the tournament, but the England captain will not want to become football’s equivalent of Colin Montgomerie as the door opens once again for him to end his wait for a trophy.

Montgomerie was the best golfer never to win any of the four major championships and is perhaps at the top of the list of sport’s nearly men, a position Kane will never want to find himself when he comes to reflect on his career.

It was ahead of the final Group C game against Slovenia that Kane compared England to a golfer in a major tournament, who was being careful not to play themselves out of contention in the early rounds.

But ‘moving day’ is upon us and the world’s best golfers know exactly how and when to peak when the finish line is in sight, something Montgomerie never quite managed to do in the majors and something Kane must show he has learned.

England’s game against Switzerland on Saturday in Dusseldorf will be Kane’s fourth successive quarter-final for his country, having suffered a series of near-misses with his clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.

“You just get more experienced and understand there’s going to be nerves and pressure,” said Kane. “You deal with that slightly better than how you do earlier on in your career, when it’s either your first or second opportunity.

“But, for me, I’m always someone for whom preparation is a big thing, in my life and career. And I always feel like if I prepare right, then I’ll go into the game with a free mind. Each game is different and a lot of things can happen in football, but you have to be prepared for any situation.

“Over time, I think I’ve learned to cope with those nerves a bit better, knowing I’ve prepared well and the team has prepared well. Now it’s just about going out there and letting the football do the talking. It’s just more experience and it helps you cope with the situation a bit better.”