Kane’s audacious NFL dream: from Bayern to the American gridiron

Harry Kane's NFL Dream

Harry Kane has never hidden his desire to try American football, specifically the NFL, dreaming of becoming a kicker after his soccer career ends. In recent remarks last month, the Bayern Munich striker, now 32, said the idea of moving to American football always lingers. He added: I know it will take a lot of work. I won't be expected to show up and start kicking on day one; I will have to train extensively.

Support from a Super Bowl champion

It seems Kane won't be alone in chasing his dream, as one Super Bowl winner has voiced willingness to mentor him and help him navigate the switch, confident he can succeed bridging the two sports.

Kane's affection for American football goes back to 2011, after watching a documentary about Tom Brady, the legendary quarterback, which turned him into a fan of the New England Patriots. In 2019 he attended the team's Super Bowl parade in Atlanta, where he met Brady and his former teammate Julian Edelman, and a lasting friendship grew. In a 2023 interview on Good Morning America, Kane said the NFL is something he has followed for about a decade, that he loves it, and he would really like to try it someday. He also said the idea of becoming a kicker is something he would definitely like to explore after retiring from football.

Support and Cross-Sport Mentors

Kane's supporter: Dustin Colquitt

Among Kane's backers is Dustin Colquitt, who followed in his father Craig Colquitt's footsteps to become an NFL star and helped Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl in 2020. Colquitt spent 15 seasons with the team and set a record for games played, but he has admitted he once dreamed of playing in the English Premier League as a boy. Speaking to the BBC, Colquitt said: I watched Kane during the World Cup, and if he focuses on this goal I think he would do it brilliantly. I've seen his precision in shooting, and I would love to work with him because I love football and he is very excited about the idea. That excitement is part of his character.

Transfer to NFL: What it would take

Colquitt explained that Kane's success would depend on mastering fine technical details, noting the holder is the one who catches the ball for the kicker, and that a flawed hold can ruin a perfect kick. He added: The person holding the ball carries a big responsibility, because stitch direction, wind, and timing are all crucial. So when Kane is ready, I will be ready too. He also said kickers usually approach each attempt with a one-shot, one-target mindset: they don't ask you to kick much, but when they do, you must be precise.

A Short History of Europeans in the NFL

From penalties to NFL kicks

Kane is widely regarded as one of the best penalty takers in modern football. In a 2021 interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, he compared NFL kicks to football penalties, adding that psychological pressure is the common factor. Kane has scored 93 goals from 105 penalties in his professional career (excluding shoot-outs) and has missed just one of 37 attempts since the famous miss against France at the 2022 World Cup. Neville's colleague asked: many people can score penalties in training or from distance, but can you do it under pressure when it counts? Kane believes that edge is his.

Past experiments

There was a similar chapter for Austrian Tony Fritsch, who left football at 26 to become a NFL kicker with the Dallas Cowboys in the seventies. Fritsch won the Super Bowl in his first season and earned the championship ring despite an injury. Other Europeans who moved to the NFL included Garo Yepremian, Morten Andersen, Jan Stenerud, Toni Linhart, and Neil O'Donnell. In 1997, English forward Cliff Allen— Tottenham and England veteran— gave it a go with the London Monarchs, scoring six field goals from six attempts and seven extra points from ten, but most kicks were short, ending the experiment quickly. Today there are still players whose NFL careers began in football, such as Brandon Aubrey (Dallas Cowboys), Harrison Butker (Kansas City Chiefs) and Cairo Santos (Chicago Bears). It also helps that veterans like Nick Folk and Matt Prater continue playing into their forties, keeping Kane's hope alive.

Kane's Bayern Munich contract runs to 2027, just before his 34th birthday, and while an extension in Germany isn't ruled out, there is plenty of time to chase the dream of becoming a dual-sport star—from European soccer fields to NFL stadiums.