I ruined Harry Kane’s best chance to win a trophy yet, now I’m looking to do it again in the Euro 2024 final

5 months ago 48

DANI OLMO bagged a hat-trick to deny Harry Kane a trophy on his Bayern Munich debut — and is out to repeat the trick in Berlin.

Kane was parachuted straight into the German Supercup the day after he signed for Bayern, but Olmo’s heroics for RB Leipzig meant there was no dream start to a season which astonishingly ended without silverware.

Dani Olmo says Spanish glory is more important than winning the Golden Boot after celebrating semi-final victory over France[/caption]

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams revelled in Spain’s comeback win over the French, along with Golden Boot contenders Fabian Ruiz and Alvaro Morata[/caption]

The Spain midfielder has the chance to continue Kane’s trophy curse in Sunday’s final and beat him to the Golden Boot.

His aim now is to end the campaign exactly how he started it.

Asked whether the idea was to bag another hat-trick to deny England skipper Kane the title, 26-year-old Olmo said: “A lot!

“It would be a dream to score a hat-trick in the final — and win it, of course. I would be happy if I could help the team with a goal but the main objective is to win.”

There are plenty of positive memories at Berlin’s Olympiastadion for Kane’s nemesis, too, coming off the bench against Hertha Berlin two years ago with a goal and assist in a 6-1 win for Leipzig.

Now, as Spain head there for the final, striker Kane, 30, and Olmo both sit on three tournament goals.

If neither of them score in Berlin the award will be split between six players . . . a stud each?

Olmo added: “I felt very good at the Euros, Harry Kane and I are tied, but if Fabian Ruiz scores — who has two — and even Alvaro Morata scores a hat-trick, then we are there.

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Kane made his Bayern debut as a sub in the German Supercup last August but Olmo won it for RB Leipzig with a hat-trick[/caption]

“We would be just as happy whoever does it.”

It was not in the plan for the Spanish playmaker to have such an impact at this Euros.

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The man who won an Olympic silver medal at the last Games has started just two matches but has three goals — including a fabulous winner in the semi-final against France — and two assists.

Olmo started on the fringes of the squad but following injury to Barcelona’s Pedri in the quarter-final with the hosts, he was thrown on, scored and has not looked back.

In a Spain side which is very different from the dominant tiki-taka team of 2008-12, Olmo is perhaps the one who stands out most.

There are few occasions on which he opts for a short, cute pass — despite starting his career in Barca’s famed La Masia academy.

Olmo takes everything on the half-turn and loves to drive with the ball at his feet but also has the finesse of all the finest Spanish players — as evidenced by his wonderful goal against Les Bleus.

Olmo collected a tricky loose ball with one flick in the air, another to move past Aurelien Tchouameni and fired across goal to score via a Jules Kounde deflection.

It is not just on the pitch that the tricky midfielder is brave, either.
At just 16 years old, Olmo took the decision to do something very few young Spanish players do and leave his home country.

Opting to take an even more unique path, he joined Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia and went on to win nine trophies, including five league titles.

Throughout his time in Croatia, Olmo was progressing through the Spanish youth set-up, from the Under-16s up to the U-21s, with whom he won the European Championship under current La Roja boss Luis de la Fuente, scoring in both the semis and final.

A move to RB Leipzig in Germany followed in 2020, with another switch expected after this tournament — when he could become Kane’s team-mate.

England stars Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Luke Shaw and Declan Rice hope they have even bigger smiles after Sunday’s showpiece[/caption]

You can say it hasn’t been pretty, but England are in the final… and we’re peaking at just the right time, says Jack Wilshere

AFTER what has been a tough tournament of times, what an opportunity Gareth Southgate and his team will have to end in the best possible way, writes Jack Wilshere.

We might like a team that played better football. But it’s a results business.

Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and of course Holland would love to be where we are.

People will say we’re lucky because we’re on this side of the draw.

But we won the group. France didn’t and then ran into Spain.

You can say it wasn’t that pretty, but we’re there.

Gareth and his coaches won’t have been happy with some of the performances.

But I did like the way Gareth and his team have dealt with it.

There was no panic coming out of the camp.

Everyone gave the same message: ‘We know we can better, but we’re here still.’

And on Sunday they will be in Berlin to play Spain.

They will probably have to produce two halves of football as good as the first against Holland to beat them.

We have improved as the tournament has gone on and that is how you win things.

You want to peak in the final.

If Gareth can lead England to that major trophy we’ve all been waiting for, it will be the perfect answer to the critics and a brilliant day for us all.

Read Jack Wilshere’s England vs Holland verdict in full.

Or check out all of SunSport columnist Jack’s Euros 2024 opinions…

Bayern Munich is his most likely destination after a £55million release clause in his contract was extended to next Saturday thanks to Spain reaching the final.

Manchester United and Manchester City have both monitored Olmo but Bavaria appears to be calling his name.

Asked about his future, the midfielder said: “I have too much to do with the Euros to be thinking about other things and, now with the final ahead, it is not something that I have on my mind.”

Victory tomorrow night could make for an awkward chat with Kane should the two join up for pre-season together with new boss Vincent Kompany’s Bayern.

But while Spain have been lauded for their fine football — and beaten all of Croatia, Italy, Germany and France to reach the final — Olmo is wary of the threat the Three Lions pose.

He added: “Like Morata in our national team, Jude Bellingham is also a reference point there.

“Football passes through his boots, both with him and with Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, who form that trident with Harry Kane up front.

“Bellingham is always there in the middle of the matter.

“They are players to be taken into account but we are not afraid of anyone.”