Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp has hailed England captain Harry Kane as the Three Lions answer to five-time Ballon d’Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo and Messi both exited this summer’s World Cup on Saturday after Argentina and Portugal suffered respective losses to France and Uruguay in the round of 16 with both players possibly waving goodbye to what might have been their last realistic chance to win a World Cup.
England have drawn Colombia in the round of 16 and Kane currently leads all scorers at the World Cup with five goals in two matches.
Redknapp said that Kane has gone to another level this season and there’s a growing consensus that the Tottenham striker is one of the best players in the world.
“He is our Messi, our Ronaldo. He is the talisman, the person we will be looking at to score and to make that difference,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“He is leading by example. He is the player that everyone is talking about – wherever you go at the moment, people from all around the world.
“He has gone to another level and elevated his game. Not only that but as a person and everyone thinks he is one of the best players in the world now – he is in the top five and things can only get better.”
Kane insisted that confidence was high in the England camp and that he has not been deterred by his side’s 1-0 defeat to Belgium in the final game of the group stages.
“In my last game I scored a hat-trick and that’s how I look at it,” he said.
“Maybe if I played [against Belgium] and didn’t score, I’d be thinking ‘I didn’t score in the last game’ but I’m coming off the back of a hat-trick and I’m ready to go in a very important game for us.
“Confidence is high with all the lads. We have been enjoying it so far and we have just got to go out there and do the same.”
