"I hugged him and wished him luck in the final!" — Harry Kane breaks his silence on Lionel Messi after World Cup drama

England captain Harry Kane opened up about his emotions after the dramatic defeat to Argentina in the semi-final of the World Cup.

Details: Bayern Munich star striker and England captain Harry Kane spoke candidly about his grueling clash with Lionel Messi in the World Cup semi-final. The English goalscorer admitted that the defeat was bitter, but noted that the Argentine's stature and sporting genius deserve unequivocal recognition.

Kane described in detail the emotions of meeting the Albiceleste captain:

“Of course, that day was difficult for me. It’s hard when you go out of a tournament in that way... But I have enormous respect for Messi. I watched him grow as a footballer. I think he’s an incredible player and also an incredible person — judging by what I’ve been told by those who know him. I’ve only spoken to him a couple of times, but he seems like a very humble person to me. He always put the team ahead of himself, and I think that’s one of the reasons Argentina achieved so much success.”

The Englishman also stressed how important it was to show sportsmanship immediately after the semi-final battle:

“I remember that day I hugged him and wished him luck in the final. In the end, that World Cup wasn’t ours, but that’s the essence of the World Cup: the best players compete against each other on the biggest stage, and, of course, there will always be someone who loses. That day, after the defeat, I tried not to hang my head and to show respect to the other team. I think that was important, especially toward Leo, considering how incredible he had been in football for so many years.”

Harry Kane remains the all-time leading scorer for the England national team and one of the leading figures in European club football with Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi once again led Argentina to World Cup glory, winning the tournament's best-player award at the age of 39, while the mutual gesture of respect between the two great forwards after the final whistle went down in sporting history.

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