Mr Irreplaceable and Ballon d'Or contender - is this Kane's time?

Harry Kane’s final task of the finest season of a magnificent career is to attend to unfinished business as England’s World Cup captain.

Kane is England’s ‘Mr Irreplaceable’ – as proved when Thomas Tuchel’s side were ominously toothless when drawing with Uruguay then losing to Japan in March friendlies at Wembley.

The 32-year-old’s fitness will be Tuchel’s biggest concern as they prepare to start their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June, not simply because of his status as England’s all-time record scorer with 78 goals in 112 games, but also because they have no-one remotely in Kane’s class.

If Kane stays fit, and in the remarkable form that brought him 64 goals in 56 games for Bayern Munich this season, England’s hopes will soar.

If not, the reverse applies.

As former England striker Chris Sutton told BBC Sport: “Harry Kane is so important that if he announced his international retirement this afternoon, everyone would instantly view England’s World Cup chances in a different, more pessimistic light.”

Silverware has come late in Kane’s career after barren years at Tottenham Hotspur, when even his stunning goalscoring numbers could not bring glory.

He is now making up for lost time by winning a second successive Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, then scoring a hat-trick as they beat Stuttgart 3-0 in the German Cup final.

And Kane now has his sights set on delivering the biggest prize of all as he leads England on their latest quest to end the search for men’s success stretching back to the 1966 World Cup win.

England’s countdown to their opening World Cup game continues when they play New Zealand in a friendly at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday (21:00 BST).

Kane has suffered the disappointment of losing successive European Championship finals with England to Italy and Spain, as well as a World Cup semi-final defeat by Croatia in 2018 and a quarter-final loss to France in Qatar.

Now Kane’s stellar form and fitness suggest the time might be right for England and their talisman to overcome the barrier that has brought 60 years of pain.

‘No-one can replace Kane for England’

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who will be at their World Cup games in his role as a BBC Radio 5 Live match analyst, says: “Kane is one player England can’t do without. Irreplaceable.

“I do like the fact Tuchel has brought Ivan Toney in. I cover the Saudi Pro League and his club, Al-Ahli, have just won the Asian Champions League for the second season running. He scored 32 goals and was only overtaken as leading scorer by Julian Quinones of Al Qadsiah on the final day.

“I really like that pick, and both he and Ollie Watkins offer something different, but no-one can replace Kane for England.

“If England do well, it means Harry Kane’s done well. This is the level of importance that he carries for England. He looks fit, healthy and ready to go. You can use all the phrases. Captain. Talisman. Leader. He’s all of those.”

Major tournaments have not always been kind to Kane, starting with Euro 2016 in France where he took more corners than he scored goals – seven against none – with the campaign ending in humiliation against Iceland in the last 16.

Two years later in Russia, as England captain, Kane won the Golden Boot at the World Cup, scoring six goals in six games as Gareth Southgate’s side reached the semi-finals.

He was England’s top scorer when they reached the final of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament with four goals in seven games, although the 2022 World Cup ended in disappointment as Kane missed a penalty in the 2-1 defeat by France in the quarter-final in Qatar.

Kane, by his own standards, had a disappointing Euro 2024, looking so out of sorts there was a clamour for him to be replaced by Aston Villa’s Watkins.

He was substituted in all of England’s knockout matches, including after only 61 minutes of the final loss to Spain in Berlin. Kane, however, still finished as the tournament’s joint top scorer with three goals from seven games.

“I think this could be a really big tournament for him,” said Robinson. “Tuchel takes big decisions, changes personnel and systems, but one thing he never changes is using Harry Kane as his single striker.

“He is not just the player you want that last-second chance that might win a game to fall to. He is someone who has the class and quality to create that chance for someone else. He is pivotal to everything England do.”

Sutton is in agreement with Robinson.

“England are in a better place going into this World Cup with regards to Harry Kane than when they went into Euro 2024,” says Sutton.

“He didn’t seem quite right, maybe carrying an injury. Some people were talking about leaving him out, but if you take him out of the England team at this time, they are not the same force.”

Is Kane currently world’s best striker?

Kane’s numbers are truly remarkable – not just this season with those 64 goals, but throughout his career for club and country.

After his real breakthrough season at Spurs in 2014-15, when he scored 31 goals in 51 games, he has never dipped below 24 goals in 11 campaigns. Kane’s career is a monument to consistency.

And at this World Cup, he will have the opportunity to become England’s highest scorer in the tournament. He currently has eight goals from 11 World Cup appearances, while Gary Lineker has 10 in 12.

Robinson said: “He has to be in the conversation as the world’s best simply because of his record and the numbers he posts season in, season out.

“Remember when Pep Guardiola wanted him at Manchester City? Can you imagine the goals he would have got in that side with the opportunities they create?

“You look at the numbers he and Erling Haaland post, and I think Kane is a better finisher than Haaland. I also think he’s a better all-round footballer than Haaland – and as he gets older his game is developing.”

Sutton added: “He has to be in that bracket when you talk about the world’s best. Haaland is pace and power, but Kane is different. He plays a more rounded game and possesses that aura all great players have. His team-mates feel it and, just as importantly, opponents can feel it. They fear Harry Kane.

“There is sometimes a debate that he’s coming too deep, but that is football intelligence.

“I get the arguments that you want your best striker in and around the box, but he’s intelligent enough and hungry enough to make it work. He always seems to find a way to be in the right place at the right time.

“Harry Kane has instincts that are simply uncoachable. This is what makes him such a great player.”

Will Ballon d’Or add to Kane glory?

Kane is at the forefront of contenders for the coveted Ballon d’Or awarded to Europe’s player of the year.

He has already claimed the Golden Shoe award for Europe’s leading goalscorer.

Bayern may have gone out against Paris St-Germain in a classic two-leg Champions League semi-final, but this cannot take the sheen off Kane’s stunning season.

Robinson has no doubts: “He wins it [the Ballon d’Or] this year. Who else wins it? Look at the achievements, and those numbers he’s had at club level.

“He’s won trophies and there is the potential success he could have at the World Cup, which always plays a big factor in the Ballon d’Or winner.

“There is absolutely no reason he should not win it – for me there is nobody else that wins it.”

England and Tuchel will hope Kane can set the seal on that accolade by leading them to long-awaited World Cup glory.

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