England captain Harry Kane on leading by example and what it would mean to win EURO 2024

Harry Kane was more animated after Ollie Watkins' 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands on Wednesday than many had ever seen him before, more animated perhaps than had he scored that goal.

Having been subbed off in the 81st minute, he was one of the first off the bench to celebrate and once Watkins had emerged from the mob of players on top of him, England's captain embraced his fellow forward and spoke to him.

Kane (top) and Ollie Watkins celebrate England's win against the NetherlandsAFP via Getty Images

"To be honest, I can't remember what I was saying to him, but it was probably along the lines that he deserves it," Kane said to EURO2024.com. "Credit to Ollie – it's not easy not starting. It's not easy waiting for your chance, so to come on and take that chance like he did, with that finish, was a credit to him and obviously a massive achievement for the team."

It's a sign of his generosity that Kane celebrated with such passion, continuing into his post-match interviews where he put all the praise on Watkins, hardly mentioning that it was his first-half penalty that drew the teams level. There are some strikers whose happiness at reaching the final would have been dimmed ever so slightly at not being on the pitch when the decisive moment happened. Not Kane, for whom a team is always a collective that extends beyond the starting XI on the pitch. That is the mark of a true leader.

"That's what the team is," the 30-year-old explained. "It's when everyone's fighting in the same direction. Everyone is trying to achieve the same goal. There are no egos involved. It's just [that] we want anyone to make the difference.

"I always try to set the example. I always try and be the leader where the team's first and the team is the most important. And that's what I feel like I do best."

This is a quality that manager Gareth Southgate has seen Kane take to a new level here in Germany. He may have been England's captain for six years, but this is the first tournament where he has not had the luxury of several other experienced voices alongside him in the changing room.

"He's grown hugely in that role," Southgate said, "and I have to say, in the last few weeks, he's been particularly outstanding, recognising more than ever the value of the group. We lost a couple of experienced leaders with injuries, Henderson, Maguire, for example. So even more has fallen on his lap, but he has risen to that challenge really well."

The team-first mindset also extends to Kane's record in front of goal which, lest we forget, is as good as anyone at this EURO. Kane is level on three goals with Dani Olmo, so one subplot to Sunday's final is the race for the Alipay+ Top Scorer Award. Nevertheless, Kane is crystal clear about his priorities in Berlin.

"Ultimately, when you come this far in a tournament, you're not thinking about the golden boot," Kane said. "You're thinking about winning the championship and that's all that matters. So, of course, as a striker I'd love to score on Sunday but if someone else scores and we win, I'm not going to be disappointed."

Kane admitted that the pain of losing the EURO 2020 final on penalties at Wembley brings extra motivation, but one thing is certain for the skipper: if England do win, it will be down to the group.

"Everyone wants to achieve the same goal," he concluded. "And whether you play one minute or you play every minute, if we win it, we're all going to celebrate together and we’re all going to be extremely happy, so that's the most important thing."