What happened to the two players Arsenal picked over Harry Kane when he was in their academy

Two players were picked ahead of Harry Kane when he was in Arsenal’s academy. Here’s what happened to them.

Kane is Tottenham and England’s record scorer, while in his first season playing for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, he has netted 38 goals and provided 12 assists for his teammates in 37 appearances across all competitions.

It is widely known that Kane wasn’t always tipped for greatness. In the Arsenal academy, where the England captain spent a year as an Under-8, the competition in his age group included forwards that were more athletic and prolific.

There, Benik Afobe and Chuks Aneke, who both went on to play for England’s junior teams and have professional careers, were the two biggest prospects.

Dan Buck, who coached them all, told the Athletic: “On Saturday mornings, I’d do a session with the under-nines who weren’t selected for the matches on Sundays, and Harry ended up being with that squad a lot more than he would’ve liked.

“Benik and Chuks would rock up on a Sunday and score about seven each, and poor Harry would get five minutes.

“You’ve got a lad that nobody really fancied who’s gone on to be the best No 9 in the world. It’s a mad story. Not one you forget.”

Aneke has since spent time at several clubs in the Football League including MK Dons, Charlton and Birmingham. This term he has scored a goal and recorded two assists for The Addicks in League One.

Afobe and Aneke went on to play for England's youth sides and have professional careers (Getty)

“Benik was the one scoring all the goals,” says Aneke modestly. “He was the one they earmarked for stardom.

“H had good technique but he wasn’t particularly athletic at that age. He was small, not particularly quick, a bit podgy. It was hard for his attributes to really shine.

“I remember him doing a bicycle kick, which was unusual at that age. It just stuck in my head. I always remembered his name.”

Meanwhile, Afobe, who now plies his trade for Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi, went on to make 63 Premier League appearances, scoring 10 goals for Bournemouth.

Meanwhile, he was, for a time, among the most prolific forwards in the Championship having netted 57 goals in 217 appearances for the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stoke City and Millwall.

Topics: Harry Kane, Arsenal, England, Bayern Munich, Football

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.