Harry Kane is a football superstar, of that there is no doubt. Anyone with three Premier League Golden Boots to their name and close to 250 goals at club level is a bona fide member of the sporting elite.
The Tottenham striker is also captain of England, registering 41 goals for his country and skippering them in a European Championship final. His has a CV that will be the envy of many contemporaries around the world.
There is, however, one glaring omission on that roll of honour. Kane will be tired of hearing about it by now, but there is no escaping the fact that, despite of all his individual excellence, he is yet to collect a major trophy.
Early struggles for consistency in 2021-22 have seen Spurs stumble out of title contention before that race has really begun, with the latest Premier League odds from Paddy Power seeing the north London giants slide to 250/1.
Other avenues to silverware remain open, though, with Tottenham 5/1 for League Cup glory, having reached the quarter-finals of that competition, 12/1 to go all of the way in the FA Cup and 11/2 to emerge victorious in the Europa Conference League.
🏆🗓️ The dates for the #CarabaoCup Quarter-Final ties have been confirmed! #EFL pic.twitter.com/YpSdLgFp4e
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) November 3, 2021
With Kane leading the line, ably supported by the likes of Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura, dreams of bringing a 14-year wait for tangible success to a close in 2022 remain intact. Hope will continue to spring eternal for those who have forgotten what it is like to throw a celebration party in the English capital.
Can Kane get his medal?
Few would begrudge Kane an opportunity to get his hands on a medal in the current campaign, with one of the finest finishers in the business deserving of greater collective reward than his career has delivered so far.
His loyalty to Spurs is to be applauded as he could easily have downed tools and packed his bags when the going got tough and final hurdles proved impossible to clear. For him, victories with the club that delivered a big break will mean more than any savoured elsewhere.
It is, however, impossible to ignore the fact that he cannot go on forever. There will have to come a point where Spurs either deliver or begrudgingly accept the fact that they are unable to match the ambition of their most prized assets.
Interest in Kane has been successfully fended off in recent transfer windows, with talk of a move to Manchester City seemingly never far away. Pep Guardiola and his coaching team at the Etihad Stadium will still be monitoring goings on at a domestic rival closely.
It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I've had in the last few weeks. 👏⚽
— Harry Kane (@HKane) August 25, 2021
I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100% focused on helping the team achieve success. #COYS pic.twitter.com/uTN78tHlk1
The reigning Premier League champions remain without a prolific No.9 in their ranks, and there is one obvious candidate to fill that void. There is only so long that Tottenham can knock offers back before their resolve is pushed beyond breaking point.
Kane still has plenty of games and goals left in him, while Antonio Conte has been acquired by Spurs as a coach with a proven track record when it comes to meeting expectations and putting trophies on the mantelpiece.
The clock is ticking, though, and you get the feeling that another trophyless season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will prove to be the final straw for a man who needs to start putting himself first.