Trump and Harry Kane

Al Arabiya.net

Published: July 18, 2026: 02:30 AM GST Last update: July 18, 2026: 10:37 AM GST

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US President Donald Trump believes that England coach Thomas Tuchel made a mistake by sending striker Harry Kane back to defense in the closing minutes of the Argentina match in the 2026 World Cup semifinal, which ended with the latter winning 2-1.

Trump on Harry Kane:

I played golf with Harry Kane, and he is a great guy.

I think perhaps they made a mistake when they made him a defensive player. They took their best player and put him in defense.

That was a bit unusual. pic.twitter.com/yZTfFPqsx9

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 17, 2026

Trump said at a press conference on Friday in New York: I played golf with Harry Kane and he is a great guy. I think England's coach made a mistake by bringing him back to defense.

He added: How can he bring his best player back to defense? He was supposed to attack. The truth is I don't know much about coaching in football, but I think that decision was odd.

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