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England's Harry Kane has become Lionel Messi-esque in terms of his value to the collective cause, with Stan Collymore explaining to GOAL why that is a good thing and how the Three Lions' record goalscorer is benefiting from a mindset that others have lacked. The prolific Bayern Munich frontman is leading another bid for World Cup glory at present, with a star-studded squad often being carried on his back.
England's GOAT: Kane Crucial To The Three Lions' Collective Cause
That has been the case for some time now, with pre-tournament questions asked about how coach Thomas Tuchel’s troops would fare if their talismanic captain were to pick up an untimely injury. Fortunately for all concerned, no solution to that problem has been required as yet.
After finding the target on 61 occasions at club level last season, becoming a two-time Bundesliga title winner in the process, Kane has netted five times at the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup Golden Boot: Kane Has Five Goals To His Name
He opened World Cup competition with a brace against Croatia, before grabbing another in dramatic fashion as England battled against DR Congo in the round of 32. He also helped the Three Lions defeat Panama, taking his international goal tally to 84 and counting.
It is scary to think where England would be without their free-scoring No. 9, as he occupies a talent pool alongside Argentine GOAT Messi – with Argentina another of those that would see overall standards dip considerably if one match-altering talent were to be removed from their ranks.
Why Kane Has Become Messi-Esque, And How He Reached That Level
Quizzed on whether Kane has reached that level and how he came to end up there, former Three Lions striker Collymore — speaking courtesy of BetTOM – told GOAL: "You could argue that, yes, but also Harry Kane plays a lot of games for England, so you don't know what it would be like if he wasn't playing for example.
"I'm not suggesting for a minute that Ollie Watkins or, I don't know, a Morgan Rogers playing as a frontman or a Jude Bellingham playing as a frontman would add the consistency of output. But we just don't know. And that's one of the things we're going to have to find out, of course, when Harry Kane finally hangs up his England boots because the cupboard is bare, really, if we're looking at young, upcoming central strikers. They aren't there in the 21s, they're not there in the 20s or the 19s, so it's an issue and a problem that we're going to have to face on another day.
Collymore also noted that Kane's goal total should've boosted his confidence throughout tournaments and games, but it did not show in the 2024 Euros when they reached the final against Spain.
"But in terms of his output, if you're scoring 60-odd goals in German football, you're going to arrive at a tournament with the kind of confidence that to be honest he didn't have at the Euros. I thought he had a disappointing Euros that was perhaps compounded a little bit by one or two niggly injuries.
"But yes, I think that Thomas Tuchel said the other day ‘Argentina rely on Messi, France rely on (Kylian) Mbappe and why wouldn't we rely on Harry Kane?’ Why is that such a bad thing, such a negative?
"But in terms of what he's given the England national team over a number of years now he's turned up and he's been consistent. He's wanted to play for England and I think that's been the most important thing at a time when it would be very easy to prioritise club football over international football, and many players do that — a lot of players don't turn up for friendlies for their country, they turn up for the big tournaments.
As Kane and the Three Lions prepare for their round of 16 showdown with Spain, Collymore said that Kane continuing to get reps is only going to benefit his performance on the field.
"The most important thing for Harry Kane is that he's getting his just deserts and his just rewards for being consistently in every squad — Nations League, friendlies, qualification games, tournament games — and that's why I think that he's so important for England.
"At times when other players have perhaps dipped out of one or two squads and you think Gareth Southgate created this great squad environment, then other managers come in and perhaps find Thomas Tuchel a little bit prickly and say ‘well, do I want to be a part of this?’ Harry Kane, whoever it's been, has been consistent, he's turned up and he's delivered for England.
"it's that consistency really that's led to this point in a way that I don't think it would have if it had been an England camp and an England environment where it would have been ‘oh well, you can miss these two or three friendlies Harry, just turn up for the qualifiers or for the main thing’. That consistency of turning up has been really crucial and really key for him as a captain and for him as a goalscorer."
England Fixtures: Round Of 16 Showdown With Mexico Next Up For Kane And Co
Kane continues to lead by example, as Messi does with World Cup titleholders Argentina, and is hoping to get his hands on the grandest of prizes this summer — bringing 60 years of trophy-chasing to a close for the battle-weary Three Lions.
England will, as they look to their greatest goalscorer for inspiration once again, be back in action on Sunday when taking in a testing last-16 encounter with Mexico that will play out at altitude in the iconic surroundings of Mexico City Stadium.
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