Amidst the bustling scene outside the changing rooms at Daugava Stadium, Harry Kane stood out as kitmen hurried past him with suitcases in tow, heading toward the England team bus. A Latvian player paused to snap a selfie with the star, while journalists eagerly awaited their turn to discuss England’s successful qualification for yet another World Cup.

Suddenly, Kane found himself mentally transported back to Qatar, back to the Al Bayt Stadium nestled in the desert near Doha on a December night in 2022. It was a setting that held a painful memory, one that now fuels his resolve as he prepares to lead England into the tournament next summer.

The England captain couldn’t help but relive that pivotal moment from the most recent World Cup, recalling his missed penalty in the 84th minute of the 2-1 quarter-final loss to France. The memory was vivid, with images of Kylian Mbappe’s laughter and Kane’s own face buried in his jersey flashing before him.

Kane, at 32, reflected on how that missed opportunity at Al Bayt had transformed him. Known for his dedication, he has since sharpened his penalty-taking skills and intensified his focus and drive. The sting of that moment has only fueled his determination to ensure it never repeats, spurring him to create new World Cup memories that will overshadow the past.

“I’m eager for the next World Cup to set things right,” Kane remarked. “It’s about pushing further and achieving the dream we all share of lifting the trophy.”

Harry Kane has named his 2022 World Cup penalty miss as the worst moment of his career

The England captain blazed the ball over the bar in their semi-final against France in Qatar

He continued, “The chance is always there with another World Cup on the horizon. Such experiences shape you, both as a person and a player, and they’ve undeniably helped me become better.”

‘It’s been fuel for me. I’d say that moment at Al-Bayt was probably the worst that I felt in any moment. I’ve lost finals before but to have that responsibility fall on my shoulders and not being able to execute something that I’ve been to execute many a time in my career … I think that was the hardest part to process and take.

‘But as always as a sportsman, putting yourself in that situation, there are going to be moments where it doesn’t quite go your way. I think the way I learned from that was important, the way that motivated me to get even better and improve, not just from the penalty side in terms of improving my technique but as an all-round player.

‘I don’t think about it too much now. After another major tournament, you get over it and get on with it. I scored a penalty in the semi-final of the Euros last year, which was as high pressure as you are going to get.

‘I always try and learn from those moments. After that penalty at the 2022 World Cup, I went 31, I think, without missing. So I changed my technique a little bit, I improved in that sense, which I was proud of. And that’s always what I will try and do.’

Kane, who will turn 33 a week after the World Cup final next summer, made a speech to his teammates in the aftermath of their crushing victory here to emphasise to them that they must never take moments like qualifying for the biggest tournament in the game for granted.

The competition in the USA, Mexico and Canada will be Kane’s third World Cup. He won the Golden Boot in Russia 2018 but his ambition for more records and more goals and more winners’ medals burns just as brightly.

‘I am in the best form of my life at the moment,’ Kane said. ‘The goals are there and the numbers speak for themselves. The way I feel on the pitch, the way I am seeing the game, physically and without the ball, pressing, I feel in a really good place.

Now the 33-year-old is in the form of his life and hungry to erase those memories next summer

‘And I feel like I am still learning and that is down to the work we are doing at Bayern Munich as well as here with England. I always want to be improving and I feel like I have stepped up another level this season.

‘Can I get to 100 international goals? I think it’s there. The way I’m feeling right now, I’m not slowing down any time soon. I want to stay at this level for as long as I can. I’m on 76 now so that leaves 24 and we have a few more games between now and the World Cup and then try and edge closer to that 100.

‘I remember talking to Gareth Southgate a long time ago about some of the other big nations and how you’ve got to get to semi-finals, to finals, you’ve got to keep knocking on the door. It doesn’t just happen overnight. You’ve got to keep being in those situations and we’ve done that.

‘We know we’re just at the bottom of the mountain still. To win a World Cup is going to be incredibly hard. We’ll have to beat the biggest teams on the biggest stage and these moments, these feelings we’ve got together right now are important stepping stones to arriving in the summer and being fearless against anyone.’