Harry Kane scores twice in England’s World Cup opener, is named “Man of the Match”—and still faces sharp criticism. Dietmar Hamann doubts that the Bayern striker can lead England to the title.
In the 4-2 win over Croatia, the Three Lions’ captain put on a spectacular performance: two goals, the award for best player of the match—and, as a bonus, the status of England’s all-time World Cup leading scorer. The 32-year-old’s first game of the 2026 World Cup could hardly have gone better. Nevertheless, a prominent critic has spoken out following the victory.
Dietmar Hamann is covering the tournament as a TV analyst for the Irish broadcaster RTE. The former professional player for Germany’s record-holding champions sees Kane’s performance as only half the story and raises a fundamental question: Is the captain really the player who will lead England to the World Cup title?
Hamann doubts Kane’s ability to deliver in knockout matches
His main argument is based on the distribution of goals in major tournaments: “Of his ten goals, he’s scored seven or eight in the group stage,” Hamann calculated.
He believes the real test will come in the decisive matches: “I want him to show that in the Round of 16 against France or in the quarterfinals against Brazil. We don’t know if he’s capable of doing that, because he hasn’t managed it so far.”
The 52-year-old takes an even more fundamental view when it comes to versatility on the field: “There are several forwards in this tournament whom I’d rather have on my team than him,” Hamann emphasized. The reason lies in how the team plays against top opponents: “Because during a tournament, you also have to be able to score on the counterattack. And he won’t be able to do that. Against the best teams, you sometimes have to drop back, and then it’s 50 or 60 yards to the opponent’s goal.”
With players like Noni Madueke, Anthony Gordon, or Marcus Rashford, Kane “can’t keep up” in this area.
Kane heads into the World Cup on the heels of a record-breaking season
The criticism is directed at a striker who, by his own account, has just played the “best season” of his career. Kane scored 61 goals and recorded seven assists in 51 appearances for FC Bayern, leading the club to the double. He now hopes to continue this run with the national team—the first step under coach Thomas Tuchel was a success against Croatia.
Next up in the group stage are matches against Ghana (June 23, 10 p.m.) and Panama (June 27, 11 p.m.). It won’t be until the knockout stage that we’ll see whether Kane can dispel the doubts Hamann has expressed about his tournament record.