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How a Watford hat-trick led Harry Kane to Ballon d'Or win

Kane may now be at the pinnacle of the professional game, but his journey was kick-started more than two decades ago after scoring a hat-trick for Watford.

The first professional team that Kane represented at youth level was Arsenal, but he was released after a brief, stint and rejoined his local Sunday league side, Ridgeway Rovers.

Then, in 2004, Kane joined Tottenham Hotspur on trial, but was turned down, leading him to join Watford on trial soon after.

In a self-written article for England Football, Kane recalled how he enjoyed his time with Watford, and that the trial had been successful, with the Hornets offering him a contract.

But, in the final stages of his trial, Kane featured for Watford in a game against Spurs, not long after the Lilywhites had initially rejected him.

Kane continued to impress for Watford, but it came at the Hornets' detriment, as his hat-trick against Spurs prompted the north London club to reverse their decision and offer him a contract.

"It was a tough decision," he admitted, "But Tottenham were the bigger club at the time, so I joined Spurs at the age of 11."

Although Kane did not make his Tottenham debut for another seven years, it was a seismic moment which set the direction for Kane's career to date.

Harry Kane celebrates with the top scorer trophy which he won for Bayern Munich. (Image: REUTERS)

The 33-year-old has now gone on to win the Ballon d'Or, having netted a staggering 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich last season.

Nobody will ever know how Kane's career may have turned out had he chosen Watford over Spurs, but it remains an interesting and possibly decisive part of the Englishman's career.

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