Captain, “killer” in the box and conductor of the national team, Harry Kane carries England’s hopes for the 2026 World Cup, a great responsibility that reflects the team’s extreme dependence on the Bayern Munich striker.
At 32 years old, the athlete will compete in his third World Cup, driven by a dream season at his club and by the desire to give the English a title denied 60 years ago.
The former Tottenham star maintained his goalscoring talent at Bayern by scoring 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches, the highest number among Europe’s main championships, and reached 61 goals in 51 games in all competitions with the Bavarian shirt. The brand earned him the European Golden Shoe for the 2025/26 season.
In the national team, Kane is, simultaneously, the greatest scorer in history (79 goals in 113 matches) and the spokesman of the group, alternating his scoring style of play with the construction of plays with a subtle touch or a precise long throw.
“Others have been top scorers, but they were not as present as Kane. He is priceless. He is someone who is highly regarded and a true emblematic figure for Bayern and the English team, on and off the field”, summarized Lothar Matthäus, captain of Germany’s 1990 World Cup champions, in April.
The problem for England is that their performance worsens when their star is not on the field. This was what happened in March against Uruguay (1-1) and Japan (1-0 defeat).
In the final stretch of preparation for the World Cup, Kane scored in the 1-0 victory over New Zealand and, with the striker on the field, the European team thrashed Costa Rica 3-0.
Coach Thomas Tuchel did not try to hide the team’s dependence on his ‘9’ shirt.
It is completely “normal for great teams to depend on great players”, he declared, comparing the Englishman’s contribution to that of Lionel Messi in Argentina or Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal.
“We can win games without Harry, we will win without Harry, we have already won without Harry, but it is easier to win games with Harry, of course”, admitted the German coach.
