Sport
England will regret not winning the World Cup with Harry Kane at his peak
World-class strikers are difficult to find. England, however, have one in the form of Harry Kane. At 29, Kane is at the peak of his powers. He is the Three Lions’ joint-record goal-scorer and boasts a skillset that makes him one of the best centre forwards of his generation. Yet World Cup and major tournament glory as an England player has evaded him.
Kane will be 33 by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks off. There’s good reason to believe he will be out of his peak years by then and so Kane might well have allowed his best opportunity to win a World Cup to pass him by by blasting over his crucial penalty kick in Saturday’s quarter-final defeat to France.
Only a handful of strikers can claim to match Kane for his brilliance as a number nine. Karim Benzema is similar to the 29-year-old in terms of his ability to create as well as score while Kylian Mbappe leads the Golden Boot standings at the 2022 World Cup with five goals in five appearances for France.
Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland are also ranked among the best strikers currently plying their trade at the top of the sport, but none of them are English. There’s no obvious candidate to succeed Kane when he starts to fade as a force. England have produced world class strikers before – Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer etc. – but there isn’t much coming along behind Kane.
Marcus Rashford might grow into a centre forward, but he is presently more comfortable on the left wing. Callum Wilson is enjoying a successful season for Newcastle United, but he is 30 and has been hindered by injury problems over the years. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is similarly injury prone and doesn’t possess the skills in possession of Kane.
England have reason to be optimistic, even after their exit from the 2022 World Cup. Players like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Reece James, Declan Rice and Rashford among others have many more major tournaments ahead of them. England have cultivated a group of players that will improve with experience. The 2022 World Cup is not the end of a cycle for the Three Lions.
Yet they will still regret not winning a World Cup or a European Championships with Kane at his peak. England need only look at Germany’s troubles in replacing Miroslav Klose at the last two major tournaments they have played for a cautionary tale in how difficult it can be to find goal-scorers to lead the line.
“We would not be in the position we are without his goals or without his leadership,” Southgate said after Kane’s missed penalty against France. “There were a lot of things at both ends of the pitch that determined the result – and he has been a fantastic leader. We are a united team and there will be nobody in the dressing room thinking we have not progressed because of him. He still has a long time ahead of him and he is an important player now – and will be for the future.”
Southgate’s own future is still to be resolved with the 52-year-old set to reflect on the way forward as England manager. Kane has been one of his most trusted players over the course of his tenure. He has delivered at every major tournament he has played at under Southgate, even winning the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup. Southgate’s tenure would look very different without the Spurs striker and England’s future will look different without a number nine of his calibre.
