Harry Kane has emerged from the Euro stalemate to reclaim the throne of English football.
His two goals against Finland at Wembley on Tuesday night extended his reign as the all-time top scorer for the country that invented this hellish game.
Our ‘Arry’ was celebrating his 100th cap for England. A nation rejoiced. And who cares that the Lapps played with as much enthusiasm as a canary in a coal mine?
A goal is a goal is a goal and Citizen Kane has scored 68 of them wearing the Three Lions crest.
Bravo. It couldn’t have happened to a more decent young man. Now the debate in the stands and in the bars across the country is: is he the best striker in English history?
Harry Kane scored twice in his 100th cap to take his England tally to 68 goals.
That argument extends beyond the mere statistics that put Kane in prime position to win the award.
In a rarefied competition, really, with the genius who made the complex art of goal-scoring look ridiculously simple while scoring more than a hundred more goals in senior club football and only 24 fewer in about half as many international appearances.
Jimmy Greaves, after a detailed analysis of the numbers, ranks higher. Judged on his artistic merit, this little ghost who occasionally indulged in caressing the ball with such delicate precision that it crossed the goal line without touching the back of the net, is the supreme master of this art.
These are the key numbers:
England – Kane 100 games, 68 goals; Greaves 57 games, 44 goals.
Senior club leagues: Kane 250 goals (213 for Spurs, 37 for Bayern Munich); Greaves 366 goals (124 for Chelsea, 220 for Spurs, 13 for West Ham, 9 for AC Milan.
Kane was presented with a gold cap to commemorate his 100th game for the Three Lions
He extended his reign as the nation’s all-time top scorer with a double against the Finns at Wembley on Tuesday, but is he the greatest striker in English history?
These are the men:
Kane is more than just height, strength and power. His headers and shots are complemented by an ability to track back from the number 9 position and make passes that create goals for others and himself. He has a commanding presence that owes as much to his personality as his physique.
Greaves used his head to discern space where there seemed to be none, moving into it undetected and accelerating to light speed until he reached lethal range of the target.
There was a wizard in it, which left those of us who had the privilege of observing it in all its glory with a sense of wonder at having witnessed something mystical.
Sir Bobby Charlton embodied much of Kane’s respect and Greaves’ aura. But, despite being England’s top scorer for the longest period of any icon, despite being nominally a midfield virtuoso, the statistics don’t add up with those of the two at the top of this league table.
Jimmy Greaves (pictured), after a thorough evaluation of the numbers, ranks higher than Kane
World champion Sir Bobby Charlton (pictured) embodied much of Kane’s amazement.
Wayne Rooney was a young phenomenon and at one point was England’s top scorer.
Wayne Rooney was a young phenomenon, Alan Shearer a powerhouse, Gary Lineker a lethal opportunist, Michael Owen a baby-faced assassin.
There also has to be a place on this list of England’s best strikers for the veterans who came on at a younger age and, in doing so, came closer than any of today’s icons to scoring as many goals as caps played. Especially when you consider how infrequent international caps were in decades past.
Specifically, Tommy Lawton, 22 goals in 23 games; Stan Mortensen, 23 in 25; Nat Lofthouse, 30 in 33.
Let us not forget: it is important to declare Sir Tom Finney the greatest English footballer, a status that Bobby Charlton and Bill Shankly, if they were still alive, would be among many reminding us of.
The Preston plumber’s 30 goals in 76 England caps do not tell the full story of the legend who played in every position of midfield and attack with such majesty that Charlton and Shankly were among the many constantly reminding us that if assists had been counted into the equation in Finney’s time, he would have had thousands on his record.
Alan Shearer (left) was a powerhouse while Gary Lineker (right) was a lethal opportunist.
Michael Owen was a baby-faced assassin who represented England and Liverpool during his early years.
These sorts of rankings are always subject to change over time. Kane says he is hungry to add to his tally of goals, as well as to surpass Peter Shilton’s record of 125 England caps. The years are still on his side as he continues to challenge Greaves for the title of best striker.
Not that this Prince Harry or any future England centre-forward can ever catch up with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has just scored his 901st senior career goal, or Lionel Messi, who currently has 838.
Pelé will always outdo them all, scoring in three of Brazil’s World Cup titles. No matter what the reality is: between the fussy statisticians who strive to denigrate him with his 746 career goals and FIFA, which, recognising that in Edson Arantes Do Nascimento’s time complete records were not kept, officially credits him with “more than 1,200”.
In the meantime, here’s our tribute to the 10 best English goalscorers of all time:
10. Tommy Lawton
9. Michael Owen
8. Stan Mortensen
7. Gary Lineker
6. Nat’s Loft House
5. Alan Shearer
4. Wayne Rooney
3. Sir Bobby Charlton
2. Harry Kane
1. Jimmy Greaves
