England star cites Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo examples as he believes people take his performances for granted

England striker Harry Kane cited Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as examples, explaining why he believes people take his performances for granted. The Bayern Munich star is preparing for World Cup Qualifiers action with The Three Lions, set to begin with a game against Albania on Friday, March 21.

However, England greats Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer seemingly played down the importance of these upcoming matches against Albania and Latvia. Disagreeing with the statements of some of the two pundits, Kane said (via Football Transfers):

"It's like when [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi were throwing these crazy numbers out there and the next season they'd score 40 goals instead of 50. It was like they were having a bad season!

"People take it for granted and maybe a little bit with England as well. I've scored 69 goals and when you score against Albania or Latvia, or these teams, people just expect it so it's not spoken about so much."

He added:

"Sometimes, I say if I was 25 now and doing what I'm doing, the excitement around me would maybe be a little bit different to what it is now. Again, that's part of where we are with football and I've seen it with some other players as they get into their 30s.

"Maybe people just get a little bit bored of what you do, but I'm certainly not bored. I'm excited for these games and the games ahead."

Kane will be expected to start these fixtures, having netted 69 times in 103 appearances across competitions for England.

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James Rodriguez says Neymar could have won three Ballon d'Or trophies if not for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronald

James Rodriguez has been the latest to speak about Neymar's unfulfilled potential in football. Claiming that the former Barcelona man could have won several Ballon d'Or awards if not for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he said (via World Soccer Talk):

"In my opinion, if not for Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar would have won three Ballon d’Or. But he had to compete with these beasts."

Messi has won this award eight times, while Ronaldo has lifted the prize on five occasions. Despite being one of the most talented players of his generation, Neymar has never won a Ballon d'Or.

He seems to have entered the final stages of his career, having moved to Santos in January from Al-Hilal. In his 18-month stay in Saudi Arabia, the Brazilian made just seven appearances due to recurring injury issues.