INSIDE KANE'S RISE TO SUPERSTARDOM: 'I saw Kane score his first ever goal - his journey to Ballon d'Or has been remarkable'

It was January 22 2011. It's fair to say that not many eyes of the football world were on Brisbane Road as Leyton Orient welcomed Sheffield Wednesday for a League One clash.

The O's were bidding to claim a scalp of one of English football's fallen giants and move themselves up the third division table. A week earlier, they had handed a professional debut to Harry Kane, a 17-year-old youth prospect who had joined on loan from Tottenham.

Kane came on as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1-1 draw at Rochdale, and boss Russell Slade had seen enough to throw him in from the start against the Owls.

After Ben Chorley had fired Orient ahead from the penalty spot, Kane doubled their advantage, turning home a Dean Cox free-kick to notch his first-ever professional goal. The hosts ran out 4-0 winners and the rest, as they say, is history.

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I was in the away end that day. While someone so tender in years clearly had something about them to be mixing it in professional men's football, I can't say as I left the ground thinking I had seen a player who would go on to win the Ballon d'Or.

Kane's journey is one born out of perseverance, hard work and sheer bloody-mindedness. He scored five goals in 18 appearances in that Orient loan spell. Creditable, but not sparkling.

In the following couple of years he would join Millwall, Norwich and Leicester on loan while biding his time to force his way into the Tottenham first team. Across those three spells, he scored 11 goals in 47 appearances.

Compared to the form Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney showed in their formative years, it was hard to see Kane reaching the heights they did, let alone going on to become his country's record goal scorer.

And now officially recognised as the best player in the world.

Things started to click for Kane at Spurs in the 2014-15 season. After being blooded by Tim Sherwood the previous year, he flourished under Mauricio Pochettino notching 31 goals in all competitions.

An England debut came against Lithuania in March 2015, replacing Rooney in the second half and scoring 80 seconds later - a sign of things to come with the Three Lions on his chest.

As well as that maiden strike at Brisbane Road, I've also been privileged enough to see a huge number of Kane's 91 England goals in the flesh.

I was in Naples to see him go past Rooney as the Three Lions' all-time top goal scorer in March 2023. I speculated to a friend of mine, who had also been present for both goals, whether we were the only two people that could say that. There can't be many.

Kane's move to Bayern Munich has taken him to another level and should serve as a shining example for English players considering moving abroad to one of Europe's juggernauts.

His 156 goals for Bayern have come in just 159 games and have propelled him into another stratosphere - one in which he can challenge for, and win, the Ballon d'Or.

It is all the more remarkable given how he has adapted his game in recent years, regularly dropping into his own half to start attacks and almost invariably getting on the end of them to put the ball in the net.

Kane is such an intelligent footballer, adept with both feet and would slot into any side in world football and be among their best midfielders.

That is why he will go on for years to come yet. At 33, you might think he is approaching the twilight of his career. But his dedication is such that he is in remarkable shape and shows no signs of slowing down.

Don't be surprised if there are more Ballons d'Or in his future. And hopefully a pot or two with England to boot.