da bet sport： Harry Kane may struggle to match Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s longevity, but Emile Heskey sees him playing for England at 36 years of age.
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Striker has 65 goals for Three LionsApproaching his 31st birthdayHas years left alongside Bellingham & CoWHAT HAPPENED?
The prolific Bayern Munich striker, who is already his country’s all-time leading scorer on 65 goals, will turn 31 in late July. His game has never been about pace – with the ability to sniff out chances carrying him to the very top – and that suggests he could have several seasons left in him for club and country.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT HESKEY SAID
Ex-Three Lions striker Heskey – speaking in association with – has told GOAL when asked how long Kane can continue: “I played until I was 32. You can see him going past that. You are looking at Ronaldo, changing the way that he plays, and he’s 39. That is similar to what Harry kind of does. [Alan] Shearer was another, even though you get older, even though there is a change of pace, a change of mobility, he will still score you goals. That’s the key thing. I can see him playing for the national team until 36, depending on the manager. And depending on who is behind you. Who’s coming through to take his role? I’ve had a discussion with Robbie Fowler and he never played as much as he should have. Robbie was scoring 30 goals a season but he had Les Ferdinand, Shearer, Michael Owen, Ian Wright, Stan Collymore, Chris Sutton, Andy Cole! He had all that around him. Who is going to grab that role and take Harry Kane out?”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Kane has already become as important to England as Messi and Ronaldo are to Argentina and Portugal respectively, with Heskey adding on that standing: “I wouldn’t say Messi and Ronaldo-esque, but he is our go-to. There are certain players that you can’t take off, and he is one of them. Regardless of how he is actually playing, he is one of those players that you can’t take off because you know that he can get you a goal. You have this juggling act of, yes, you want something different but you know that he’s going to get you a goal and that he’s one of the few that can sniff out a chance and finish it. Look at the two goals that he’s got [at Euro 2024] – great finishes. People might snatch at those, but he is very composed when getting into that situation. He is what he is. Ronaldo and Messi-esque? Probably not, because they control games through what they do. I don’t think he controls games.”
DID YOU KNOW?
With the history books being rewritten, Kane now stands alongside the modern day greats. Asked where he sits on a list that includes the likes of Shearer, Gary Lineker, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, Heskey added: “When you are talking about goals, he sits right at the very top – he is the one that you go to. When you are talking about all-round play and being involved and controlling games, then you talk about Rooney. Rooney, 04, 18-year-old Rooney, runs all over the pitch. But if you are talking about goal scoring, it’s about Harry Kane. Give him half-a-chance and he scores goals – plenty of them. But being involved in the play, that goes to Wayne Rooney.”