Defeat in the European Championship final: Kane’s title trauma extends England’s wait for redemption

With his head bowed and his shoulders slumped, Harry Kane trotted past the European Championship trophy, not daring to cast even a dreamy sideways glance at the object of his desire. The only silver item the English captain was allowed to touch on that traumatic evening in Berlin was the silver medal around his neck. Once again.

England’s unquenchable desire for a title, the “58 years of hurt” – all of this was evident in Harry Kane at the moment of the heartbreaking defeat in the European Championship final against Spain. And it was also attributed to him.

“This is a missed opportunity. It’s not easy to get to these finals. When it comes, you have to take it – and we didn’t do that again,” said the FC Bayern Munich striker. “It’s extremely painful and will hurt for a very long time.”

Even after some sleep, the sadness had not subsided. It was “heartbreaking that we could not achieve what we worked so hard for,” wrote the 30-year-old on the short message service X. But Kane also found fighting words again: We will “pick ourselves up, shake off the dust and be ready to fight again in the England jersey.”

No victory parade

The disappointment was also so great because Kane and Co., after successfully overcoming many obstacles during the tournament, actually believed they were ready for England’s next big title since the 1966 World Cup triumph. But instead of the hoped-for redemption, the deserved 1:2 defeat brought huge disillusionment.

Plans by the new Labour government for a victory parade of the Three Lions in the capital London on Tuesday, which the “Times” had reported, were left on hold. The English people’s hopes for a holiday specially declared by football-loving Prime Minister Keir Starmer remained unfulfilled. Football will not come home again; the prophecy in the song “Three Lions” (“Football’s Coming Home”) now sounds almost like a mockery.

England’s curse is also Kane’s curse

The applause of the hotel staff, who lined up for the European runners-up as they left the team’s headquarters in Berlin on Monday, was no consolation for Kane. Nor was the well-meaning request from King Charles III to “keep your head up high”. And certainly not the title of best European Championship goalscorer, which he shares with five other hat-trick scorers. The star striker wanted to finally end his personal title curse and that of his country in his adopted homeland – but instead he only prolonged it.

Because Kane led the Three Lions in the European Championship final they lost against Italy at Wembley Stadium three years ago and has not yet won a team title in his career, his winning gene is being unashamedly questioned. “The curse of Harry Kane” (beIN Sports), “Harry Kane’s painful search” (Sun), “Harry Kane cuts a sad figure” (Guardian) – the English media paid little attention to the Bayern professional. “The Guardian” even teased: “The captain acted more purposefully when he was substituted than at any other time of the evening.”

In fact, Kane dragged himself around the Olympic Stadium pitch for an hour, almost ineffectively. He only touched the ball once in the opponent’s penalty area before being substituted early for Ollie Watkins. Coach Gareth Southgate later hinted at a fitness problem for the super striker, who suffered from back problems at the end of his debut season, which also saw him win no titles at Bayern. “Physically, it’s a tough phase for Harry.”

Klopp for Southgate?

The fact that Southgate trusted Kane from the start was criticized by some media and experts. But the coach did not want to justify his line-up and tactics, nor did he want to give any indication of his personal future. “I need to talk to the right people. That’s not for now,” said Southgate.

The trend is that after eight years, two European Championship finals and one World Cup semi-final, there will be a change in the coaching position. Even if the leading players Kane (“We love the coach”) and Jude Bellingham (“I have nothing but respect for Gareth”) have once again taken the side of their coach.

But who could set up the billion-dollar ensemble in such a way that it can also develop its enormous potential in terms of playing and possibly bring salvation at the World Cup in two years? Former international player Gary Lineker brings Jürgen Klopp into play. The English association should do “everything” to get the former Liverpool FC coach out of his self-imposed sabbatical: “He will have had a bit of rest.”

Kane also needs some peace and distance now. “At the moment it’s just a huge disappointment,” he said dejectedly. He would have loved to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy into the Berlin night sky to the cheers of Prince William and his son George – and thereby conquer all doubts. But it remains a curiosity: the possibly best centre-forward in the world when he’s in top form, who scores goals like a magnet for England and at club level, isn’t helping his teams to win any titles.