Tottenham Hotspur frontman Harry Kane has admitted that he would rather have finished the season above Arsenal than win the Golden Boot.
Despite drawing a blank on the final day of the season, as Spurs were stunned 5-1 at Newcastle United, Kane won major individual plaudits this year after a fine campaign.
The England international proved that he wasn’t a one-season wonder by scoring 25 goals to win the top-scorer award, seeing off the likes of Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero in the process.
However, Kane’s year ended badly, as Tottenham’s shock loss, coupled with Arsenal’s 4-0 victory against Aston Villa, means the Gunners end the year in second after pipping their rivals on the final day.
Kane has admitted that he’d rather have finished in second place and beaten Arsenal to a top-two finish, rather than claim the personal accolade for goalscoring.
“It hurts and it will leave a bad taste in the mouth over the summer,” Kane began, speaking to journalists, as per the Express. “It definitely makes it harder Arsenal finishing in second because we know how much it means to the fans.
“When people think they’ve had a bad season and we’ve had a good one yet they still finish above us, it hurts. It definitely makes it hard because we know how much it means to the fans and to the club.
“It would have been nicer to have won the award on a better day. It’s a personal achievement, and something I’m proud of, but if I had the choice between finishing second or having the Golden Boot, I would rather have won at Newcastle.”
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Kane will, however, have the chance to add a final positive spin on the year when he heads to the European Championships with England this summer, having been named in Roy Hodgson’s squad on Monday.
The summer showpiece will be the attacker’s first international tournament, and he will surely be hoping to add to his season goal tally in France.