England men’s national soccer team captain Harry Kane has sparked backlash after revealing he’s played golf with Donald Trump.
Kane, whose six goals have helped fire England into Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina, disclosed the round with the president during a news conference on Friday ahead of England’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Norway.
The Bayern Munich striker was asked by The Daily Telegraph how he fared against Trump on the golf course. Watch the exchange here.
“I played all right, to be honest,” Kane said. “Yeah, we played about 18 months ago. He invited me to play when I was down in Palm Beach, so, yeah, when the president invites you somewhere. It was a pretty surreal experience just to meet him and obviously play golf with him.”
Etsuo Hara via Getty Images / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Kane added that Trump’s golf game is “pretty good, to be honest with you” and said: “I hope I can play golf as good as him when I’m his age, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, a unique experience,” Kane added. “But, yeah, I was just grateful that he just invited me down to play, for sure.”
Trump, who turned 80 in June, has long faced accusations of cheating at golf, including from sportswriter Rick Reilly, who devoted an entire book to the subject.
Trump praised Kane on Truth Social last week, calling him “a GREAT player!!!” before later revealing the pair had played golf together.
Kane’s remarks quickly drew criticism on social media, with some calling them “beyond embarrassing” and “disappointing.”
The England captain is not the first soccer star to face backlash over an encounter with Trump.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi have also been criticized in recent months following visits to the White House and photo ops with the president.
If England ends up defeating Messi’s reigning champions Argentina and then goes on to win the World Cup against either Spain or France, Trump will hand Kane the trophy.