Livescore
Harry Kane has been Tottenham‘s goal king for nine seasons, since settling in as the team’s number nine in 2014-15 after loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester.
Since then, the English attacker has not stopped scoring to reach 267 goals, surpassing Jimmy Greaves‘ 266 (1961-70).
“It’s a magical feeling, something surreal,” Kane said as he reflected on the occasion.
“There has been a lot of talk about breaking the record and I wanted to do it as soon as possible, and to do it against one of the best teams in the world is special. I couldn’t have asked for more.
“Jimmy was one of the best strikers to ever play football, so to be mentioned alongside him is incredible, and to beat him is a dream come true.”
New records in sight
His goal which was the winner as Spurs beat Manchester City 1-0 also took him to 200 goals in the Premier League, joining a club made up by only Wayne Rooney (208) and Alan Shearer (260).
His 17 goals this season in the Premier League do not put him in contention for the Golden Boot with Erling Haaland (25 goals), but they did help him overtake Andy Cole (187) and Sergio Ageero (184) in the race to be the all-time top scorer in the English Premier League.
“He has football in his DNA and understands it at every moment, he can play in any position,” Tottenham assistant coach Cristian Stellini reflected.
“He is a great example, a GOAT of the Premier League and of this sport.”
Antonio Conte‘s assistant at Spurs took charge against Manchester City due to the Italian’s absence with illness and described Kane similarly to how Gareth Southgate talks about his England captain.
For England, Kane is the record goalscorer along with Rooney with 53 goals.
The striker has broken down barriers by opening the debate on whether he will (or will not) beat Shearer.
At 29 years old (he turns 30 in July) he still has time.
Much more than a goalscorer
“Right from the start he showed a great nose and it’s no wonder he’s outperformed the other Tottenham strikers,” ex-Tottenham player Nayim told MARCA.
“Whoever comes after him will find it very difficult to beat numbers that he is going to keep improving.
“If he continues in the Premier League I have no doubt that he will surpass Shearer.
“Having a good team around him, he is capable of scoring many goals per season.
“His ability to score with both feet and also with his head makes him very difficult for defenders to control.”
Nayim was the first Spaniard in the history of the Premier League and Tottenham (1988-93) and is a huge fan of Kane‘s.
“I would highlight above all his understanding of the game, now he associates much more with his teammates,” he continued.
“He’s not just capable of scoring. He’s added to his game as an assist provider, he’s very good with his back to goal and he’s able to filter decisive passes.”
Coming out of the box under Jose Mourinho made him better and more complete, and his masterpiece came in 2020-21, when he was the top scorer (23 goals) and top assist provider (14 assists) in the Premier League.
Deprived of trophies
However, Kane has not been able to get even one trophy out of his 267 goals for Tottenham.
He has won the PFA Player of the Year five times (2015, 2016, 2017, 2017, 2018 and 2021) and the Golden Boot of the Premier League four time (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021).
Despite this, he has not won a team trophy, coming closest as runner-up in the Carabao Cup twice (2015 and 2021), the Champions League (2019) and even the European Championship (2020).
It’s a lack of titles that sometimes penalizes him in comparisons with other great forwards.
“I don’t know if he needs to win a trophy but, if he breaks Shearer‘s record, he will have a brilliant career,” explains Jack Pitt-Brooke.
“The only reasons he wouldn’t break it is if he leaves Tottenham to go abroad or suffers a very serious injury.
“In addition, he will also break the England record and set another great record, footballers’ careers are not only measured by titles.
“Compared to other great strikers of today, I think Benzema is the best and then Kane and Lewandowski are equal, very close to him.”
Kane’s secret
The journalist from The Athletic who covers Tottenham highlights his capacity for continuous improvement as a great value to break scoring records.
“He is a talented player, but the most important thing is his mentality,” Pitt-Brooke continued.
“He has become the best player he could be and he gets better every season.
“He always adds more records to his game and he is very consistent, even when Tottenham are in bad form, he always scores goals.
“The secret to his success is hard work and an old-school mentality.
“He trains and spends many hours honing his game and looking to improve his technique, and he works hard to stay as fit as possible, even though he may not be a natural athlete.
“When he was a kid, coaches thought he was out of shape, but now he’s a physical machine who can play at a very consistent level at all times.”
Kane has no limits and is already thinking about beating Shearer.
“If he stays fit and stays in England, he will beat me, it’s just a question of when he will,” Alan Shearer himself stated.
“He’s only the third player to score 200 goals and join a small club that Wayne and I are in.
“He’s doing what great strikers do and there aren’t many better than him. I’m a big fan of his. He’s fantastic.”
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