Harry Kane confirms round of golf with Donald Trump: ‘A pretty surreal experience’

Harry Kane confirms round of golf with Donald Trump: ‘A pretty surreal experience’

England captain Harry Kane has confirmed he once played a round of golf with U.S. President Donald Trump, describing the encounter as a pretty surreal experience. The confirmation came on Friday, July 10, during a pre-match press conference in Miami ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway.

The meeting took place about 18 months ago in Palm Beach, Florida, after the president extended an invitation to the 32-year-old Bayern Munich forward. While Kane modestly stated, I played all right to be honest, he expressed admiration for Trump's skills on the course. Specifically, Kane noted that the president's golf is pretty good and expressed a hope to play at that level when he reaches the age of 80.

The admission follows a series of public compliments from Trump. After England's 3-2 victory over Mexico in the round-of-16 match on Sunday, July 6, Trump posted on Truth Social that Harry Kane of England is a GREAT player!!! On Monday, Trump further praised Kane as a great person and a good golfer while speaking to reporters.

The news of the golf outing coincides with high-stakes preparations for England's upcoming match. On Friday afternoon, the squad trained at the Inter Miami facilities in Fort Lauderdale, where they were visited by Sir David Beckham. Beckham, who has attended several World Cup matches this summer, wished the team luck before their session. Kane described Beckham as an England legend and noted that the former captain frequently messages him after games.

The quarter-final, scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at 5 p.m. Local time (ET) at Miami Stadium, features a high-profile matchup between two of the world's top strikers. Kane enters the game with six goals in the tournament, while Norway's Erling Haaland has scored seven. Since the start of last season, Kane has recorded 73 goals for club and country, compared to 58 for Haaland.

When asked to compare himself to Haaland, Kane described them as completely different players who occupy almost two different positions. He characterized Haaland as a beast and a machine physically, with finishing at the highest level, while describing his own style as being more involved in play, though capable of playing as an out-and-out nine.

Despite England starting as -220 favorites, Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken suggested that the pressure lies primarily with the English. He pointed to the fact that England has reached the World Cup semifinals only three times in 60 years — in 1966, 1990, and 2018 — and has not won the trophy since 1966. Haaland echoed this, stating that the pressure should be placed on the England lads.

This week also saw President Trump involved in other World Cup narratives. He contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to attempt to reverse a one-game red card suspension for U.S. Striker Folarin Balogun. While Infantino said the call did not influence the outcome, Balogun's suspension was later changed to a suspended sentence. However, the U.S. Team was eliminated on Monday, July 6, following a 4-1 loss.

The winner of the Saturday clash between England and Norway will advance to the semifinals to face either Argentina or Switzerland.