Harry Kane has once again cemented his status as one of the world’s best players during the group stage of this World Cup. He has scored three goals so far, consistently making his presence felt and stepping up as a leader. That’s making quite an impression.
Many experts currently consider Kane the best striker in the world and believe the Englishman has a very good chance of winning the Ballon d’Or. While the competition is fierce, Kane’s performances and goals give him a strong case.
Jamie Carragher, a former England international and current analyst, considers the Bayern striker’s role on the English team to be absolutely pivotal.
Carragher Heaps Praise on Kane
In his World Cup column for the British newspaper The Telegraph, Carragher raved about Kane—and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham as well. “Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have once again shown why they play for two of the world’s biggest clubs. That’s why England’s hopes rested on them when they traveled to the U.S., and that’s why further success depends so much on their form,” Carragher explained.
He continued: “Not for the first time in their international careers, Kane and Bellingham have stepped up under pressure and delivered. The duo are now responsible for five of our six goals in the tournament, with Kane reaching new milestones with every goal.”
With his eleventh World Cup goal, Kane has become England’s all-time leading scorer in the competition. That alone is an impressive achievement.
However, Carragher also criticized the overall approach of the English national team. “What really annoys me in every recent international tournament is the complaint that ‘Kane drops too deep and that hurts the team,’” said the former defender.
Rather, the problem is that Kane often has to drop deep to have more of an impact. Of course, he also has a major impact on the game when he plays deeper because he’s an excellent passer, but Carragher doesn’t think it’s ideal “how his teammates fit into the system,” which makes life harder for the Bayern striker overall.
This makes it all the more important that the striker has already scored three goals and put in some strong performances.