It was appropriate Harry Kane scored his 267th goal as a Tottenham player to become the North London club’s all-time top scorer against Manchester City. Kane, of course, had the opportunity join the Premier League champions in 2021, but ultimately stayed put to become a Spurs legend.
Not only is Kane now Tottenham’s all-time top scorer, surpassing the record set by Jimmy Greaves decades ago, he now has 200 Premier League goals to his name. Only Wayne Rooney (208) and Alan Shearer (260) have scored more than the 29-year-old with the records of both former strikers in Kane’s sights.
“It’s a magical moment,” Kane said after the 1-0 win over City. “I was so desperate to do it with a win – once we went 1-0 up it was about the clean sheet. “To do it in front of the fans is a special moment. There has been so much talk about it, I just wanted to get it done. So, to do it in a big game against one of the best teams in the world is special.”
The numbers tell the story 💙@HKane: Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time record goalscorer pic.twitter.com/slXtqtdU2C
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 5, 2023
Kane will most likely surpass Rooney and Shearer to claim the record as the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, but he is already the greatest striker of the Premier League era. Neither Rooney nor Shearer had the all-round game of Kane. The 29-year-old has lifted expectations for players in his position over the last nine years since his Spurs debut.
Shearer was an exceptional finisher and leader, but he couldn’t conduct attacks in the way Kane can. Rooney could conduct attacks and was frequently the player Sir Alex Ferguson built his Manchester United attack round, but he wasn’t a natural number nine like Kane is. There is nothing Kane can’t do and it’s remarkable he has managed to score so many goals while offering so much in some many other areas.
This is why Pep Guardiola was so keen to bring Kane to the Etihad Stadium two summers ago. He would have been the perfect fit for Manchester City’s possession-heavy, dynamic approach, while Erling Haaland still hasn’t been fully integrated since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
Many have argued Kane should have left Tottenham long before now. While he has set a new goalscoring benchmark for the North London club, he has still to get his hands on silverware. Shearer won the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers, while Rooney won multiple major trophies during his time at Manchester United. This is where Kane falls short by comparison.
He is reaching another career crossroads with recent reports stating talks with Tottenham will soon commence over a contract extension. Man Utd will also be in the market for a new centre forward this summer and the Old Trafford outfit have previously been linked with the England captain.
Bayern Munich are also believed to be monitoring Kane’s situation. The Bavarians have still to truly replace Robert Lewandowski following his switch to Barcelona last year and Kane would give them another dimension in the attacking third. A transfer to Germany would present the 29-year-old with more opportunities to win silverware.
Regardless of where Kane is playing next season, he has already secured his status as a Premier League great. Long gone are the days when centre forwards were expected only to put the ball in the back of the net and Kane has played a significant role along with peers like Karim Benzema in altering the zeitgeist. That might be an even greater achievement than any trophy or title.