England captain Harry Kane is determined to overcome the painful memory of his missed penalty in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against France, which he calls the lowest moment of his career. Having already scored once from the spot in that game, Kane skied his second attempt in the 84th minute with England trailing 2-1, sealing their exit from Qatar.
Kane admits that the miss affected him deeply and left a lasting mark. “I’d say that was probably the worst that I felt in any moment,” he told British media. “Obviously I’ve lost finals before. To have that responsibility, you almost feel like it fell on my shoulders. Not being able to execute something that I’ve been able to execute many a time in my career, I think that was the hardest part to process and take.”
Rather than dwell on the disappointment, Kane used the experience as motivation to improve. He introduced more variation in his penalty-taking — including a stuttered run-up — to better anticipate goalkeepers’ movements. The change worked. He went on a remarkable streak, converting 31 consecutive penalties for club and country before missing one in the German Cup with Bayern Munich. Since then, he has rediscovered his rhythm, scoring six straight penalties, including two in England’s recent 5-0 win over Latvia that confirmed qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Looking ahead, Kane sees the next World Cup in North America as his shot at redemption. “I always try to learn from those moments,” he said. “After that penalty, I went 31 without missing. I changed my technique a little bit. I improved in that sense, which I was proud of. Those moments only shape you as a person, as a player, and it’s definitely helped me to become a better player.”
Now with 76 international goals, Kane is eyeing another milestone. “The way I’m feeling right now, I’m not slowing down any time soon,” he said. “I want to stay at this level for as long as I can. I’m on 76 now so that leaves 24, and we have a few more games between now and the World Cup and then try to edge closer to that 100.”
Assessing his form, he added, “The goals are there and the numbers speak for themselves. The way I feel on the pitch, the way I am seeing the game, physically and without the ball, pressing I feel in a really good place.” England coach Thomas Tuchel echoed that confidence, calling Kane’s reliability from the spot unmatched: “For me, he never misses a penalty.”
Since that night in Qatar, Kane’s journey has been defined by resilience and growth. “Always as a sportsman, putting yourself in that situation there’s going to be moments where it doesn’t quite go your way,” he reflected. “But the way I learned from that, the way that motivated me to get even better and improve – not just from the penalty side but as an all-round player. To know I want to be back there at the World Cup, to help England get back there.”
