Harry Kane: Is ‘humble’ striker England’s undervalued superstar?
He was England’s top scorer as they reached the final of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament with four goals in seven games, but the 2022 World Cup ended in disappointment when Kane missed a penalty in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar.
Kane has had a disappointing Euro 2024 by his standards; He looked so exhausted that there was a clamor to replace England’s captain with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
He made substitutions in all of England’s qualifiers, including just 61 minutes in the final defeat to Spain in Berlin, and still finished as the tournament’s top scorer with three goals in seven appearances.
Kane became England’s top scorer in major tournaments, scoring 15 goals in 29 matches. This total puts him fifth in the rankings for combined European Championship and World Cup goals, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Germany trio Miroslav Klose, Gerd Muller and Jurgen Klinsmann.
But has his magnificent contribution been underappreciated?
“Everyone who has played with or against him speaks highly of him,” says Sutton.
“If people don’t give him the credit he deserves, it may be because he has been the most important man in England for so long. “Sometimes people are there to bring you down.
“England players are judged at major tournaments and there is criticism if they don’t win, with the high-profile captain often first in the firing line.
“There may be rivalries and tribalism and social media and people getting into the game, but you can’t have anybody who’s played the game to a reasonable level doubting him. And I think most fair-minded fans know the kind of player Harry Kane is.”
Sutton added: “He’s never had great pace but the way his brain works is amazing. He’s not just an outstanding goalscorer. He has the ability to drop deep to influence games, showing great awareness, passing poise and vision.”
Former England defender Matthew Upson, who played against Kane and regularly watches him as a BBC Radio 5 Live commentator, says: “The saying ‘You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ comes to mind for Harry.”
“I also think Kane’s profile is effective in this. Considering the scale of his work, I think he keeps his profile quite low.
“Like world football, the way it works is pretty understated.
“Other players are hitting numbers that aren’t as good as his, but you see them making more song and dance about what they’re doing than he does.”
