Jermain Defoe asked to pick between Harry Kane or Luis Suarez

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Jermain Defoe has told FIVE that he would pick Harry Kane in his prime over Luis Suarez, suggesting that the Tottenham Hotspur star would score a similar number of goals in the Barcelona side the Uruguayan starred in.

Kane, of course, is the talk of the town right now. His winner against Manchester City on Sunday saw him become Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer, moving one clear of Jimmy Greaves.

With that, there are debates being had regarding where he ranks amongst the greats, particularly in the modern era.

Defoe picks Kane over Suarez

Kane is well on his way to becoming the most prolific goalscorer in the Premier League. And he will soon overtake Wayne Rooney in England’s standings. He has also provided 62 assists for Tottenham.

Suarez spent a much shorter time in the Premier League. However, he is another who is going to be remembered as one of the greatest forwards for several decades, too.

Defoe was asked whether he would take Kane in his prime or Suarez. And the former Tottenham man suggested that he would just about opt for the Spurs talisman.

“Harry Kane,” he told FIVE. “Do you know what? If there was 10 ex-players, I think it would be 50-50 because do you know why, forget about all the Barcelona, the Liverpool stuff, just talk about them as players, both goalscorers, Harry’s got more to his game. Talk about the Premier League, okay then, both legends of the Premier League, the amount of goals that they’ve scored. You talk about major tournaments, go to a World Cup and have a Golden Boot. So if you ask 10 players, then it’s 50-50.

“Put Harry Kane in that Barcelona team, it’s tight [for who scores more goals]. They’re both unbelievable. But I just feel like, Harry Kane, I could play with someone like Harry because he’s got so much more to his game.”

Obviously, no one has any right to lecture Defoe on strikers. And you can definitely understand his point of view. Kane is so unselfish.

Having said that, Suarez’s numbers are absolutely frightening. He scored 195 goals in 283 games for Barcelona. And incredibly, he also provided 113 assists in that time.

Perhaps recency bias is a factor. Kane continues to steal the show in the Premier League, while Suarez is several years older and coming towards the end of his career.

Suarez has scored everywhere he has been. Kane however, is yet to test himself at his peak away from Tottenham.

So you could make an argument for either player. And it is interesting to think about what Kane’s numbers would be like in the Barcelona side where Suarez was lethal.