Harry Kanes Cozy Date Night Amid World Cup Pressure

He got the better of the defence, and silenced a raucous Azteca crowd, in England’s World Cup victory on Monday morning.

But it seems did meet his match this week – a flock of Canadian geese.

The England captain came face to face with the notoriously aggressive birds during a date with wife Kate on Tuesday.

had given his players two days off after their 3-2 win against the tournament co-hosts, which set up a quarter-final against Norway on Saturday, with the Kanes opting for a stroll in the Wilderness Lake Park.

The ‘serene oasis’ which boasts picturesque walking trails and fishing waters – a football’s throw from the England team base in – was the ideal place for the couple to enjoy their first ‘alone time’ since the tournament began last month. But the tranquillity was shattered as they had to battle their way through a gaggle of the super-protective geese.

It was an unfortunate interruption to a rare get-together for the couple during the World Cup. There have been brief spells after matches where the Kanes have been spotted embracing in the stands – notably England’s victory over DR Congo, to which Kate took their four children to watch their dad score twice.

But I’m told Kate had been unable to see Harry on his day off after their opening win over Croatia, as she flew back home to look after the children.

Unlike some Wags, university-educated Kate has opted to jet in and out of the US to attend games, rather than following the team from match to match like Jordan Pickford’s wife Megan and Ollie Watkins’ wife Ellie.

Kate did, however, return for the round-of-16 game against Mexico. And she is understood to be going to the match at the Miami Stadium this weekend.

The angry geese aside, an onlooker described the couple’s stroll on Tuesday as a ‘lovely scene’. The location was particularly befitting for the not-so-flash Harry. Despite the player’s £100million worth as England’s most prolific goalscorer, Harry – wearing a Nike T-shirt and shorts, thought to have been issued by the England camp – likes to keep life simple.

Those who know him say the opportunity to spend a few hours with Kate, whom he met at Larkswood Primary School in Chingford some 25 years ago, would have ‘meant the world to him’.

As teenagers, they spent a lot of time walking and talking together on their way to school – and soon became smitten.

‘Harry is the most down-to-earth footballer you could ever meet,’ says an associate.

‘He’s so wealthy – but what he loves more than anything is to spend time with Kate and the children. Harry would far rather go for a quiet walk than to a lavish restaurant for lunch.

‘He is an astonishing man; he’s such a star yet so normal. It’s hard to think of any other footballer like him. They looked like they were having a really special time; it must have been just what Harry needed after his performance in Mexico City.’

Indeed, the date was also a sign of just how important Kate is to Harry’s career.

The couple have been as good as inseparable since they were 11 years old – and there is nobody else who quite ‘gets Harry’ like Kate does. She was a budding footballer herself. In 2005, both she and Harry attended David Beckham’s now-defunct academy in Stratford, East London. They once posed for a picture with Beckham – a photo I’m told makes the former England captain ‘feel very old’ when he sees it.

‘Kate loves the other Wags, but she gets football in a way that the others don’t,’ says a source close to the England clan.

‘Her priority is Harry and the kids. Shopping isn’t really her thing and, while she will always join in a wives’ night out, she’s not a party girl.

‘She is a lovely, loyal young woman who isn’t at all interested in fame. She doesn’t like the high life. Her role as Harry’s support has never been more important.