I stumbled upon this old column about the Beatles while looking for something else. Ten years ago, there was a documentary about the ‘Fab Four’ titled ‘Eight Days a Week’ by Ron Howard (2016). I liked it because of a simple quote from Brian Epstein, the manager who brought them global fame: ‘They were different, without artifice.’ As I wrote back then and still believe today, ‘Without artifice, without modern silliness. Nor the post-modern coefficient of the Internet. I like to believe they didn’t need the paparazzi-fueled eccentricities of 2000s stars. That their genius was enough.’
The same words come to mind when it comes to Harry Kane. No artifice, no staged nonsense, no paparazzi-fueled eccentricities. Since he shone solo—or rather in tandem with the excellent Korean Son Heung-min—in the Tottenham squad, this player sent a simple message: that of football, a certain idea of football, this collective sport that elevates individuals, who would be nothing without the collective they nevertheless transcend.
His Ballon d’Or speech was not conventional, even if it had to be prepared because, given his record-breaking season, he was legitimately eligible. The center-forward with 73 goals spoke about the difficulties of making choices so that young people don’t only see the achievement. If I had to cite an example to my son, it would be Harry Kane. Seeing him fail regularly with the England team felt somewhat unfair, simply because the best league in the world was incapable of forming a world-class national eleven.
The guy is reminiscent of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who was, incidentally, the last Bayern player to win the Ballon d’Or. A near-austere sobriety from an era that Harry Kane is reviving forty years later.
A prolific scorer, a playmaker, an altruistic passer. And not a self-proclaimed big head. A player of football as the game was intended to be.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-31 05:38:33 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/yes-we-can.html