Why Tottenham’s Harry Kane stands alongside the best forwards in Europe

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Since making his Premier League debut as a fresh-faced 18-year-old in August 2012, Harry Kane has scored 78 goals in 113 Premier League appearances for Tottenham Hotspur. It is an astonishing record that stands alongside the very best strikers in Europe. This season, Kane retained the Golden Boot, awarded to the highest scorer in England’s top-flight, after netting 29 times in just 30 matches, which helped Spurs finish runners-up to Chelsea. Still though, there are naysayers who downplay Kane’s achievements.

Statistics can sometimes be misleading in football. However, it is impossible to argue with the numbers behind Kane’s remarkable rise to prominence. As a striker, goals are his currency, and in that regard, he is unrivalled domestically. No Premier League player has been on the score sheet on more occasions than Kane since he made his first start for Spurs in April 2014. Not Sergio Aguero, not Romelu Lukaku, not Diego Costa, not anyone. Initially, Kane was written off as a one-season wonder, but he has gone on to break the 20-goal barrier in three consecutive campaigns. This has been accomplished despite injuries which have threatened to interrupt his progress.

Indeed, this season, the England spearhead boasted a better goals ratio (one every 87 minutes) than some of football’s deadliest sharpshooters, including Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. Kane, who plies his trade in arguably the most competitive league in Europe, was forced to endure two separate spells on the treatment table with an ankle injury, which damaged Spurs’ title aspirations. Nonetheless, they did not derail Kane, who signed off in imperious fashion with seven goals in the final two matches.

So what is it about Kane that causes some to doubt his ability? Could it be his unassuming manner? There is no flamboyance about the Chingford-born star, whose character is mirrored in his playing style. Off the pitch, Kane does not seek the limelight and is happier on the golf course than being snapped by paparazzi in nightclubs. On the pitch, he is hard-working and honest. There are no mysteries – what you see is very much what you get. Kane is deceptively strong and quick, but his unerring ability to strike the ball cleanly is his greatest asset. It is no secret that Kane likes to shoot from practically anywhere, but opposing teams seem incapable of stopping him.

Perhaps it is Kane’s provenance, that he is a graduate of Spurs’ academy rather than a big-money capture from abroad, which has contributed to the scepticism. Even Mauricio Pochettino, the highly-regarded Tottenham manager, was initially reluctant to select Kane over Roberto Soldado, who had joined from Valencia in 2013 for £26 million. Only through the weight of Kane’s performances in the Europa League did he eventually present an irresistible case for selection. And once given the chance, he grabbed it with both hands.

Upon being confirmed as the Golden Boot winner for 2016/17, Kane composed a tweet which poked fun at the fact his credentials are often maligned. Obviously, he takes such barbs in good humour, but now the doubters must desist. At just 23, time is on Kane’s side to rewrite the record books. Eclipsing Alan Shearer’s total of 260 Premier League goals, which sits proudly atop the all-time list, is not a fanciful dream. Shearer is a player with whom Kane is often compared. It would be fitting if, several years from now, it is he who passes that landmark.