Tottenham legend Clive Allen offers to help Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane become an NFL kicker after retiring from football
Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Clive Allen has offered to mentor Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane if the newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner pursues a second sporting career in the NFL. The England captain has long admired American football and remains open to trying his hand as a placekicker once he eventually hangs up his boots.
Former Spurs striker offers guidance
Allen is well qualified to guide the 33-year-old marksman into gridiron having previously played as a placekicker for NFL Europe side London Monarchs. Kane recently became the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to lift the Ballon d’Or after scoring 73 goals in 65 outings for Bayern and England across the 2025-26 season. He has also won two Bundesliga crowns and a German Cup in Munich.
England captain eyes gridiron switch
Although Kane has shattered numerous scoring records in Germany, he has never hidden his passion for American football. Addressing his future plans previously, Kane said: “It all depends on what happens in my career over the next five or six years, the motivation and what I want to do. The NFL is a lot more realistic, let’s put it that way.”
Asked about the Bayern star’s prospects of making the switch, Allen told talkSPORT: “There’s talk of it. I’ll be happy to help him with that. I’m sure, the one thing I know he’s got, he’s got the leg to do it, that’s for sure.
“And you have to have a really strong kicking leg and he will have the mentality to deal with it as well. So, yeah, that would be fun to see him try that.”
Jaguars kicker highlights mental challenge
While Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little believes the forward possesses the required leg power and technique, he warned that adjusting culturally to life on the sidelines would be difficult.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Little said: “It’s just so different, sitting there on the sidelines the whole game. You’re not going to get on the ball, and you don’t have the same moxie, I guess, because he is a star striker for the team. So that moxie is just kind of put to the side. You’ve got to let everyone else do the big man’s job, and then you’re out there just to back everyone up basically.
“He’s probably talented enough to do it. His technique in soccer is so good. But it’s just such a different mental, I’d say, challenge than soccer. It’d be like him taking five set pieces a day. And he’s got to deliver on all five set pieces, or you didn’t do your job for the day.”
Contract extension delays American dream
Any potential move across the Atlantic remains several years away after Kane recently agreed a contract extension tying him to Bayern until 2029. When the England skipper eventually calls time on his European career, he will look to follow the blueprint of Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey. The American successfully transitioned to the NFL after starting out in Major League Soccer and the USL.
