Remember when Harry Kane played for Leicester City?
It was a loan spell that lasted 14 games and took place in England's second division, but for a brief time, Harry Kane was a Leicester City striker.
In the spring of 2013, wide-eyed 19-year-old Kane was sent down a division by Tottenham to the Foxes, who were fighting for promotion. Ultimately, their season ended in heartbreak, with Watford winning one of the more memorable promotion playoff series ever by saving a penalty on one end and racing to the other and scoring in the seventh minute of stoppage time of their semifinal second leg.
Wearing the No. 37 shirt, Kane stood on the field with then-teammates (and current Leicester players) Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater, Jeffrey Schlupp and Andy King as the club's hopes of reaching the top flight died and Watford fans flooded the field. One Leicester player who didn't make it off the bench that day? Jamie Vardy. Back then, there was little thought given to the sight of them sitting side by side on the Leicester bench as both were little-known commodities, but one photo captures the now-priceless shot.
Harry Kane, left, sits next to Jamie Vardy while the two were briefly Leicester City teammates in 2013.
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"Me and Danny Drinkwater were having a joke and he showed me a picture of us three sitting there on the bench as we played at Watford," Kane said, according to The Mirror. "It is crazy. Football is a funny game and it can change quickly."
Indeed. Nobody then could have predicted how their paths would cross in three short years. Kane (24) and Vardy (22) have combined for 46 goals this season and are not only both candidates to win the EPL golden boot and the league's Player of the Year honors, but will most likely be suiting up for England at Euro 2016. They both scored in England's come-from-behind win over Germany last month.
Before he struck for stardom at Spurs, Kane scored two goals while on loan with Leicester, one in a loss to Watford during the regular season, and one a couple months prior against Blackburn (a game in which Vardy replaced him off the bench).
Meanwhile, Leicester has gone from the Championship to contending for the Premier League championship, fighting 5,000-to-1 odds en route to leading the league by five points with four games remaining. Standing in Leicester's way: Kane and Tottenham. Kane's two goals Monday helped Spurs beat Stoke 4-0 and chip away at Leicester's lead, as the two sides battle down the stretch in what is becoming one of the more memorable title chases ever.
