The striker is driven by a sense of destiny but to be remembered as an all-time great outside England requires big-game performances
Five days to win the Ballon d’Or. The way to do it: outshine Lionel Messi in Atlanta, then see off Kylian Mbappé or Lamine Yamal on Sunday. For Harry Kane, nothing will come without a fight. The England captain was doubted when he was a kid, back when the youth coaches at Tottenham wondered if it was worth keeping him, and he faces another seismic battle against Argentina on Wednesday.
This could be the crowning moment of Kane’s career. The Bayern Munich striker has enjoyed the season of his life, with more domestic trophies in the bag and 73 goals in 64 appearances for club and country. There are more steps to take, though. The chance to lead England into a first World Cup final abroad is within reach. All Kane has to do to is outperform the greatest footballer of all time.
Kane has spoken about reaching the level of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Moving to Bayern in 2023 helped, finally bringing England’s record goalscorer the silverware his talent merits. But there is more to achieve on the international stage. Kane is driven by a sense of destiny, a yearning to right past disappointments with his country, and will have a wonderful chance of being crowned the best player in the world if he can fire England to World Cup glory for the first time in 60 years.
Kane has talked at this tournament about feeling better than ever physically. He looks at Messi, who is still going strong at 39, and wonders if he can do the same. It is easy to imagine Kane still leading the line for England at the next World Cup, even though he would be 36. He has carefully studied how the best in different sports look after their bodies. “That’s why you do all the work behind the scenes,” Kane said after rescuing England with two goals against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last 32. “Those guys, Messi and Ronaldo, are at the pinnacle of that.”
Yet it will take more than an immaculate physical regime for Kane to be remembered as an all-time great outside England. It also requires big-game performances. This is where the likes of Messi make the difference. Argentina’s No 10, who has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times, is clutch. He scored when Barcelona beat Manchester United in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals. He regularly toyed with Real Madrid in el clasico and was inspirational when Argentina won the World Cup in 2022. He delivered when Argentina needed to beat Mexico in their second group game. He scored in every knockout round, produced a special assist for Julián Alvarez in the semi-final win over Croatia and scored twice against France in the final. Those are the levels.
Kane, of course, is not short of big moments. He scored a hat-trick for Bayern when they beat Stuttgart 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal final in May. Kane also delivered during Bayern’s most recent Champions League campaign, scoring in every leg when the Bundesliga champions beat Real Madrid in the last eight and lost their semi-final to Paris Saint-Germain. For England, Kane is prolific and his knockout record stands up to scrutiny. He saved Thomas Tuchel’s job with his goals against the DRC and has scored in the last 16 in five consecutive tournaments.
Yet it is difficult to keep producing. Kane won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup but he tired during the latter stages and spurned a big chance to double England’s lead in their semi-final defeat to Croatia. He has had to be resilient. Kane was criticised early on at Euro 2020. He responded, scoring crucial goals during knockout wins over Germany, Ukraine and Denmark, but he stumbled at the last, offering little as England lost on penalties to Italy in the final. The pattern is familiar.
The last World Cup was painful for Kane. He scored one penalty but missed the next one when England, who were the better side, lost their quarter-final to France. Then came the fitness troubles at Euro 2024. Kane was disrupted by a back issue and, while he scored the winner against Slovakia in the last 16 and equalised with an early penalty during the semi-final victory over the Netherlands, his tournament was summed up by Gareth Southgate taking him off in the 61st minute when England were beaten in the final by Spain.
It is typical of Kane to have bounced back and returned even stronger. He has been one of the stars of this World Cup, scoring six goals in six games. He delivered against Mexico in the Azteca, creating Jude Bellingham’s second goal and scoring the winner from the spot.
While Kane was not at his best in the quarter-final win over Norway – the heat and humidity in Miami seemed to affect him more than most – he worked hard and was still on the pitch at the end of extra-time. Even so, a competitor like Kane will not feel that saving England in a last-32 tie against the DRC has done enough for his legacy.
Kane will play in more favourable conditions in the Atlanta Stadium, with its roof and air conditioning, and has the craft, strength and height to outwit Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez in Argentina’s defence. It will be a battle against two streetwise centre-backs but England will be in business if Kane wins it.
