|
England captain Harry Kane has confirmed that he once played a round of golf with United States President Donald Trump, describing the experience as "surreal" and praising the President's golfing ability ahead of England's FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Norway, reported Reuters.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Kane revealed that the round took place in Palm Beach, Florida, around 18 months ago after Trump invited him to play. "I played all right, to be honest," Kane told reporters in Miami, according to Reuters. "He invited me to play when I was down in Palm Beach. So yeah, when the president invites you somewhere..." "It was a pretty surreal experience just to meet him and obviously play golf with him. His golf is pretty good, to be honest. I hope I can play as well as him when I'm his age. So yeah, unique experience, and I was just grateful he invited me down to play," Kane said. Kane's comments came days after Trump praised the England skipper following the Three Lions' dramatic 3-2 victory over co-hosts Mexico in the Round of 16. On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, "Harry Kane of England is a GREAT player!!!" He later told reporters, as per Reuters, "I think Kane is a great player. I played golf with him, and I like him a lot. He's a good golfer. He's really great." Kane will now turn his attention back to football as England face Norway in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida on Saturday (local time), with a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals at stake. Thomas Tuchel's side enter the contest in strong form after overcoming Mexico 3-2 despite playing much of the second half with 10 men. Jude Bellingham scored twice, while Kane converted the decisive penalty as England advanced to the last eight for the 11th time in World Cup history. The Three Lions have won three consecutive matches at the tournament, scoring at least twice in each victory, although their recent knockout record against European opposition offers Norway encouragement, with five of England's last six World Cup eliminations coming against fellow European nations. Norway, meanwhile, have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the tournament. Stale Solbakken's men stunned five-time champions Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16, courtesy of a brace from Erling Haaland, to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Despite Norway's impressive run, history favours England. The Three Lions lead the overall head-to-head record 7-2, and Norway have failed to score in their last four meetings with England. The two nations last met in a 2014 international friendly, when Wayne Rooney's penalty secured a 1-0 victory for England. The winners of Saturday's clash will progress to the semi-finals, where they will meet either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland. (ANI)
|
