Read 3 minutes3 Jul 2026 06:55 PM IST
Harry Kane is the highest scorer for England with 84 goals. However, his cabinet lacked the silverware that would have complemented his personal brilliance. Former England defender Jamie Carragher opined that if Kane had better teammates like Sir Bobby Charlton, Kane would have eclipsed Charlton’s greatness.
“For us, Kane in 2026 is exactly what Charlton was to the nation 60 years ago – giving supporters the belief that we could finally win a major competition. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have Bobby Moore, Gordon Banks or Alan Ball with him to make those dreams a reality,” Carragher wrote in the Telegraph.
Charlton, who played in a number of positions throughout his career, won his only World Cup with England in 1966 and later won the Ballon d’Or.
“In a stronger England era – with more world-class players around him, such as the Manchester United legend in 1966 – Kane would not only have the opportunity to match Charlton. He would be well-placed to eclipse him,” Carragher wrote.
“Given his form and position, the World Cup should be in Kane’s sights. If the Ballon d’Or was being voted on now, Kane would be the rightful winner, his heroics against DR Congo for England absorbing his 72nd goal of the season. Only Lionel Messi has faced a campaign of the same Christian Roo number in recent times. The Liverpool player wrote.
During his club career, despite individual success at Tottenham Hotspur, he failed to win a title and had to settle for a place at German giants Bayern Munich.
“Until he joined Bayern Munich, the biggest obstacle to Kane winning football’s biggest prizes was the team he played for. All those years when he endured ridicule for never winning anything had nothing to do with his ability,” opined Carragher.
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“Right now, Kane must feel like playing for England is like playing for Tottenham Hotspur, when he knows that no matter how many runs he scores or how close he is to a 10/10 individual performance, he will miss out on winners’ medals. The rest of the team was nowhere near good enough,” he said.