The photo of Tottenham and England’s record goalscorer in an Arsenal shirt is infamous – here’s the real story of why the Gunners let Harry Kane go
An infamous photo of Harry Kane in an Arsenal shirt. Former Tottenham captain Kane even dyed his hair red in a childhood photo from his time at Arsenal’s academy.
Another photo shows Kane playing for Arsenal’s under-8s team in full kit, at a time when he could only dream of becoming a £100m superstar and England’s record goalscorer.
Kane, 32, has achieved impressive goalscoring feats for Bayern Munich and will undoubtedly pose the biggest threat to Arsenal’s defense when they face the Reds at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
Incredibly, Kane has scored 26 goals for club and country this season, with 15 in 21 games against Arsenal, including one in the last time the clubs met at the Emirates in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2024.
The athlete admitted that he was clearly motivated after being rejected as a child and used that to propel him to reach the top.
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“Yeah, probably throughout my entire career, really,” Kane said in September 2024. “It started when I was eight years old when I was released by Arsenal. Maybe at that age I started to have a bit of a desire to prove something to them.”
We’ve heard from Kane many times about his release, and since then the statistics clearly show that Kane has been on a mission to prove them wrong.
But what is the real reason he was released? And the heartbreak that led to the glory of England’s greatest goalscorer. The harsh reality, according to those at Arsenal’s prestigious Hale End academy at the time, was that this was a no-brainer decision.
Not only did Kane have what people would describe as a little “puppy fat” back then, he wasn’t a great runner or athlete either. When talking about football, the topic was “He couldn’t run.”
And at that age, academies often have to make tough decisions with kids about who has the better potential.
Even in that famous team photo, there was another player competing directly against them. Kane was born on July 28, 1993, the same year as Benik Afobe, who was born on February 12.
The single biggest factor in Kane’s decision was that Afobe was seen as a better prospect. Athletic, more prolific, stronger.
Afobe, who was close friends with Jack Wilshere, was also targeted by Barcelona before signing his first professional contract, but never made it to Arsenal. Injuries had a big impact. Perhaps his best period was the 2015/16 season when he scored 22 goals for Wolves.
It’s a big decision, and Arsenal legend and former academy chief Liam Brady has always admitted that while he didn’t directly make the decision, “the responsibility lies with me”.
Kane joined Spurs at the age of 11 but admits he almost got released by the club, just as he did as a teenager. He moved on loan to Leyton Orient. I had a terrible time at Norwich. There were also loans in Millwall and Leicester.
But Kane never stopped working or training, still sprinting, running and doing endless drills. Because of his mindset and incredible mental strength, he never gave up.
And the fact is that despite everything, there’s still a feeling that if it hadn’t been for the injury crisis, he might not have even gotten the chance at Tottenham.
Kane made his first Premier League start under manager Tim Sherwood. His true champion was Mauricio Pochettino, who believes his 90th-minute winner against Aston Villa in November 2014 was the one that saved Kane from being sacked when he was on the rocks.
The rest, as they say, is history. Former Arsenal academy manager Roy Massey, a highly respected figure with a good strike rate, has admitted in the past that telling Kane he wasn’t good enough was one of the most difficult conversations he’d ever had.
But that won’t stop him from mildly insulting Kane. That was a terrible mistake. But it also set Kane on the path to superstardom.
And if goals and class matter to him, he might achieve his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or.
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