Gareth Southgate, England’s manager. a few weeks ago informed Harry Kane about him leading the side. However, the team made it official only yesterday. While addressing the press, the Tottenham striker said he is quite confident of winning the World Cup scheduled to happen in Russia in mid-June of 2018.  According to him, the big contest can be won by anyone.

"It's impossible not to dream about lifting the World Cup. It's the biggest competition in the world. I believe we can win it - anyone can. I cannot sit here and say we are not going to win it because we could do. It is my mindset and I want to win at everything I do. The players in the team want to as well. It is worth fighting for. I am sure we have all had dreams of lifting it and it is an opportunity for us. We are not favourites but you look at this season, no-one would have thought Liverpool getting to the Champions League final. You look at Manchester United back in the Sir Alex Ferguson days, they had a young team and dominated the Premier League for years to come,” said Kane.

The Tottenham striker made it clear that being young was not an excuse and in fact he takes it in his stride. "Being young is not an excuse - it could be a good thing. I believe we can and that is what we want to try and do. Anything else is not good enough,” he said.  Kane even thanked his fans for the constant support. He took to social media and wrote, “A very proud day. It means a lot to me to be named England football team captain. A massive thanks to family, friends and fans who have supported me through thick and thin. 🦁🦁🦁.”

Team England will leave for the World Cup on June 12 and will face Tunisia in their opening game on June 18. This is not the first time that Harry Kane will be leading the national side. He captained the side in 2017 for the qualifiers against Scotland and scored a late equalizer. Having scored 12 goals in 23 appearances, Kane was described as a "meticulous professional" by Southgate.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2018 04:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).