When the 18-year-old Harry Kane had a penalty saved on his Tottenham debut, nobody would have imagined him putting away 39 spot-kicks for the club on the way to beating Jimmy Greaves' record goals haul.
Here we are, though, almost 11 and a half years on from that miss against Hearts in a Europa League qualifier, and Kane is Tottenham's outright all-time leading scorer.
Goal number 267 arrived against the reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, his 200th goal in that competition.
Drink that in for a moment. It's an astonishing feat. Kane has earned the club record by chipping away at Greaves' mark in the Tottenham teams of Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Ryan Mason, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
Kane has seen some extreme turbulence at Spurs and ridden it out every time, relishing those fleeting moments of stability that have broken out occasionally, too, and even the occasional 'glory, glory' moments.
Personal accolades and honours have been many and frequent; there have been no trophies for Tottenham, though.
Here, Stats Perform looks at how Kane overcame a false start, and everything else that comes with playing for the perennially under-achieving north London giants, to become Tottenham's goal king.
Is he really in the same league as Greaves?
This is simple enough to answer. Greaves hit 266 goals in 379 games for Spurs, from 1961 to 1970, while Kane brought up number 267 in his 416th outing. So you can split hairs, but essentially there is precious little difference between their magnificent strike rates.
Kane's in the Greaves class, make no mistake. Right up there. Remember, his first Spurs games were as a raw rookie, whereas Greaves began his White Hart Lane career as the finished article, having already sizzled for Chelsea before a brief stint in Milan, so he hit the ground running: a hat-trick on debut against Blackpool was evidence of that.
Greaves plundered 37 goals in the 1962-63 First Division for Spurs, setting a club record that stands to this day.
Kane topped 20 league goals for four consecutive seasons from 2014-15 onwards, culminating in a 30-goal campaign in 2017-18, his best Premier League return. It was a 42-game league season in Greaves' era, rather than the modern-day 38 games.
That 2017-18 campaign saw Kane storm to 41 goals when all competitions were taken into account, at a rate of 0.93 goals every 90 minutes (0.88 per 90 minutes in the Premier League). He went on to win the World Cup's Golden Boot at the end of that campaign. Peak Kane was spectacular. Peak Kane might have passed, but the current variant still takes some stopping.
But what about the trophies?
Those wanting a stick with which to beat Kane might point to his goals having brought Tottenham no tangible reward for the trophy cabinet. And, no, Premier League Player of the Month awards and domestic Golden Boots (three – 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2020-21) really don't count when it comes down to the serious totting up.
Yet it surely makes Kane's achievement all the more remarkable, for him to be so relentlessly prolific in a team who so often come up short as a collective. He is the constant, the startlingly reliable mainstay. When a rare personal dip in fortunes did come early last season, after Kane saw the prospect of a move to Manchester City slip away, he climbed out of his rut and finished the campaign with 27 goals.
His shot conversion rate of 16.07 per cent in 2021-22 was the lowest it had been since 2015-16 (14.58 per cent), but this term it stood at an improved 18.18 per cent before the visit of City.
Greaves joined Tottenham from Milan for £99,999 just months after they peaked with a domestic double under Bill Nicholson's leadership, and he never did win a First Division title with Chelsea or Spurs.
He did, however, lift the FA Cup twice with Tottenham, in 1962 and 1967, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963. Kane continues to pan for such gold, even with the Champions League places today regarded by some as carrying equivalent if not greater weight than a domestic cup victory.
The top-four theory might be one for the bean-counters, but at pitch level the cup trophies remain a highly prized commodity. It is little wonder Kane's head was turned by City's interest. He knew he could have been a serial winner.
What next in the evolution of Kane?
Tributes to Greaves, when he died in September 2021, pointed to how he modified his game as defences got wise to his talent and more astute overall.
It was said Greaves became a greater penalty area predator later in his career, rather than relying on his tremendous pace and dribbling to make chances himself.
We might look at Kane and think a similar transformation is happening.
Seven of his 19 goals this term have been headers, compared to seven of 41 goals five seasons ago, and he is not dribbling at defenders and shooting as often as before.
In terms of Kane having the ball in his possession and taking on defenders before shooting, he attempted 25 such manoeuvres in 48 games in 2017-18, but before taking on City on Sunday he had only four take-ons in 29 matches in the 2022-23 campaign. Last season it was seven in 50 games, a similar ratio.
Like Greaves before him, and even Cristiano Ronaldo, Kane has lost some of that youthful energy but found ways to still enjoy immense success in the 18-yard box as his career advances.
With Kane, focusing his energies in and close to that zone is also helping others.
Kane had 28 assists for Tottenham in his first 287 games for the club, but he has totted up a further 30 since the beginning of the 2020-21 season. This is the mark of a player still developing, still learning where his limits lie, all the while looking to persuade Spurs colleagues they can follow his example, to convince them they might one day get their hands on some silverware.
Sargent earns recall as Pulisc, Balogun and Adams headline USA's preliminary Copa America squad
United States coach Gregg Berhalter has named a 27-man preliminary squad ahead of the Copa America.
Josh Sargent, the Norwich City forward, has earned a recall to the USA squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Colombia, and is set to feature for his country for the first time since 2022.
With first-choice right-back Sergino Dest injured, meanwhile, Berhalter has turned to Nashville SC's Shaq Moore in defence.
Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Matt Turner, Weston McKennie and Brendan Aaronson are among the established names to feature.
Former Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun, who opted to represent the USA rather than England, has also made the cut, as has Coventry City's Haji Wright, who has had a strong season in England's second tier.
Berhalter explained Sargent had been called up to give him another option in attack, with Wright seen primarily as a wide option.
"Between their club form and what they've done for the national team in the past, we think it's a talented group of strikers," he said.
Giovanni Reyna, the 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund attacker who has been on loan at Nottingham Forest since January, has also been included, despite a feud between Berhalter and the playmaker's family in the wake of the World Cup.
Antonee Robinson has had another impressive season with Fulham, and has been called up alongside club-mate Tim Ream.
Former Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen was a notable omission, as were MLS stars Jesus Ferreira and Jordan Morris.
"This summer presents an opportunity for us to progress and grow as a team as we continue to build towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup," Berhalter said.
"We have a talented group of players and are excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the world."
Berhalter will cut down his squad after the friendlies, with Copa hosts USA taking on Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia in Group C.
Atalanta v Bayer Leverkusen: Will Alonso's Invincibles complete second leg of treble?
Back in 2001-02, Bayer Leverkusen earned the unwanted moniker of 'Neverkusen' as they saw a potential treble unravel in the space of 11 traumatic days, finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal.
Twenty-two years later, Xabi Alonso's Werkself have already gone some way to banishing those ghosts by making Bundesliga history, Saturday's 2-1 win over Augsburg completing their unbeaten title-winning campaign.
This week, they have a chance to make it an unbeaten treble, heading to Dublin for Wednesday's Europa League final before taking on Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday.
Looking to deny Bayer one of the greatest achievements in recent memory are Atalanta, participating in their first European final following a memorable run that included a stunning quarter-final elimination of Liverpool.
Ahead of the first of 2023-24's European finals, here's the key storylines and Opta facts surrounding the two contenders.
One down, two to go
Wednesday's game offers Bayer the chance to complete the second leg of an unbeaten treble.
On Saturday, they became the first team in Bundesliga history to enjoy an unbeaten season, while only Arsenal (in 2003-04) and Juventus (2011-12) had previously achieved the feat in Europe's top five leagues this century.
Leverkusen are still unbeaten in 51 games in all competitions this season (42 wins, nine draws), with 12 of those coming in the Europa League (nine wins, three draws).
Three sides have previously won the competition without losing a game, with each of those triumphs coming within the last five editions – Chelsea in 2018-19, Villarreal in 2020-21 and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22.
Wednesday's match will be the third major European final in Leverkusen's history, with Bayer beating Espanyol in a two-legged UEFA Cup final in 1988 and losing 2-1 to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League showpiece.
Alonso has taken Germany and Europe by storm with his brand of progressive, possession-based football, and Bayer's total of 6,622 successful passes in the Europa League this season is the most by any team in a single edition since 2019-20 victors Sevilla recorded 6,971.
Their passing accuracy of 89.5 per cent is the second highest on record (behind Nice in 2017-18, 90 per cent), while their 94.3 per cent success rate with short passes is the best ever recorded in a Europa League campaign.
But even when Leverkusen have been less than free-flowing, they have found ways to avoid defeat.
They squandered a 2-0 first-leg lead in the second leg of their semi-final tie against Roma, only to fight back for a 2-2 draw which saw them progress 4-2 on aggregate. Josip Stanisic scored a 97th-minute equaliser in that game, the sixth goal Bayer have scored in the 90th minute or later in the Europa League this term.
That is the most ever managed by a team in a single major European campaign, and they also rescued their unbeaten Bundesliga record with last-gasp strikes against Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart last month.
If Leverkusen find themselves with their backs against the wall on Wednesday, viewers would be wise not to rule them out.
Can the nearly men get over the line?
Leverkusen's Bundesliga triumph has allowed them to shake off their "nearly men" tag, but Atalanta are hoping it's a case of fourth time lucky for them in major finals under Gian Piero Gasperini.
La Dea, whose only major trophy win came in the Coppa Italia in 1962-63, were beaten 1-0 by Juventus in the Coppa Italia final last week – their third loss in that competition's showpiece game under Gasperini.
However, they bounced back with a 2-0 Serie A win over Lecce on Saturday, Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere scoring as they secured a top-five finish and Champions League qualification for 2024-25.
A return to Europe's premier club competition is just reward for a fine campaign for the Bergamo club, who will finish a Serie A season with more than 65 points (currently 66) for the fifth time (with all seasons adjusted for three points per win).
The four previous instances – in 2016-17 (72), 2018-19 (69), 2019-20 (78) and 2020-21 (78) – also all came under Gasperini.
While their free-flowing attacking play has returned this campaign, La Dea have also been excellent without the ball, facing just 2.8 shots on target per Europa League game on average. That is the lowest rate of any team in the 2023-24 competition, with opponents Bayer facing 4.1 per match.
Their backline can expect to be tested on Wednesday, though, with Bayer's total of 232 shots in the Europa League this season the most by any team in a single edition since Chelsea tallied 247 in 2018-19.
The coaches
Fans can expect an intriguing tactical battle between two progressive coaches at the Aviva Stadium.
Gasperini has overseen the most successful period in Atalanta's history since taking charge in 2016, though this will be his first European final as a manager.
At the age of 66 years and 117 days, he will become the oldest coach to take charge of his first major European final, and the oldest overall since Jupp Heynckes led Bayern Munich to glory in the 2013 Champions League final (68 years, 16 days).
His counterpart Alonso – at the age of 42 years and 179 days – will be the youngest coach to manage a men's European final since Roberto Di Matteo oversaw Chelsea's memorable victory in the 2012 Champions League final at the age of 41 years and 356 days, beating Heynckes' Bayern.
Having played for Liverpool in the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals, Alonso will also become just the fourth person to play in and manage in a major European final this century.
Zidane played for Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final then managed them in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 editions. Antonio Conte played for Juventus in the 2003 Champions League showpiece and coached Inter for the 2020 Europa League final, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst achieved the feat as a Barcelona player (2006 Champions League) and Rangers boss (2022 Europa League).
Players to watch
The likes of Alejandro Grimaldo, Victor Boniface, Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich have played crucial roles for Bayer this season, but their key man is undoubtedly Florian Wirtz, who was named Bundesliga Player of the Year on Monday.
Wirtz scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists throughout Bayer's triumphant Bundesliga campaign, also recording eight goal involvements (four goals, four assists) in the Europa League this term – the most of any Leverkusen player.
Meanwhile, his total of 28 open-play chances created in the 2023-24 competition has only previously been bettered by five players in a single edition, most recently Amin Younes for Ajax in 2016-17 (30).
For Atalanta, all eyes will be on Scamacca, who scored outstanding goals against Liverpool and Marseille in the last two rounds.
The former West Ham striker has six goals in the Europa League this season, a tally only previously bettered by two Italian players in a single edition. Giuseppe Rossi netted 10 times for Villarreal in the 2010-11 tournament, while Ciro Immobile scored eight for Lazio in 2017-18.
Prediction
Leverkusen enter Wednesday's game as favourites, with the Opta supercomputer rating their chances of victory within 90 minutes at 50.2 per cent.
Atalanta, however, should not be ruled out, having won seven of their nine matches since losing 1-0 in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie against Liverpool (one draw, one defeat).
They are assigned a 24.4 per cent chance of victory, with 25.4 per cent of the supercomputer's match simulations finishing level, which would mean extra time and potentially penalties.
Kane injury doubt for England Euro 2024 squad
Harry Kane may be a doubt for England’s Euro 2024 squad as he continues to struggle with a back problem.
Gareth Southgate is due to name his preliminary squad for Euro 2024 on Tuesday, ahead of upcoming friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland.
The England captain missed the final two Bundesliga games of the season after going off towards the end of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel confirmed prior to their final match against Hoffenheim that Kane was back in England to undergo treatment.
When later asked again about the nature of the striker’s injury, Tuchel admitted that Kane had been struggling for a couple of weeks.
"In Madrid, it was borderline. We tried injections and treatments. The back has completely closed.
"It has gotten worse and kept breaking out in small, everyday movements. There's no chance he's even training."
Kane scored 36 league goals in his debut campaign for Bayern, though due to the injury, he finished five adrift of Robert Lewandowski’s single-season goal record of 41, set in 2019-20.
The final announcement of Southgate's 26-man squad will be revealed on June 7, ahead of the tournament opener against Serbia on June 16.
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