"Not that guy who is outstanding" - Ex-Arsenal star explains why Harry Kane isn't a complete player like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Arsenal and Bayern Munich forward Lukas Podolski claimed Harry Kane isn’t a complete player like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Podolski believes although the England striker is one of the best in his position, he doesn’t rack up the number of goals that the iconic duo did in their prime.

Messi and Ronaldo dominated the game for over a decade and won 13 Ballon d'Or awards between them. Kane, meanwhile, is one of the best strikers at present and is the highest goalscorer in the Bundesliga this season with 14 goals in 12 games.

While the England captain has shattered several goalscoring records at Bayern, he still pales compared to Messi and Ronaldo's numbers in front of goal.

Podolski weighed in on Kane’s goalscoring prowess while comparing it with that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He told talkSPORT:

“I think not only this season but last season he scored like 40 goals, so don't always give such a high target to players. We are used to having Ronaldo and Messi, who scored like 70, 80 goals per season, so now if you score 30 or 40 it's not enough anymore."

“I think [Kane] is one of the greatest strikers in our history, he scores goals, but maybe he's not that guy who is outstanding with his performances. But he's there to score goals, he's always in the box, he always smells something,” he added.

The German concluded:

“Bayern have always had top strikers, [Robert] Lewandowski before and now Kane. He's continued what he was doing at Tottenham and for the national team.”

When Harry Kane said Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were his inspiration

In 2023, Harry Kane said he uses Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as motivation while claiming he still has several years left to continue playing at the highest level. Ronaldo and Messi are revered in the beautiful game not only for their achievements but also for their longevity.

Kane, 31, has scored 369 senior club goals across competitions and is poised to score more. While he didn’t win a trophy at Tottenham Hotspur, he left the north London club as their all-time leading scorer while boasting the same record with England.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Kane said he uses Ronaldo and Messi as examples of what can be achieved regarding longevity at the highest level.

"I think of what they've done, they are as good in their 30s as they were in their 20s," Kane told ESPN in an exclusive interview. "Me just turning 30 now, it obviously gives me excitement to know if I keep my body in good shape and keep my mentality right, I could be playing at the highest level for as long as I want to do it," Kane said.

"Those players [Ronaldo and Messi] have set the bar -- those and a few others as well -- and it just motivates me and tells me that it's possible. It is great watching those players still performing, two of the greatest players ever to play our game. For me now, it is almost the second half of my career. I've had a good first half; now, can the second half be even better?" the striker added.

He concluded:

"From a really young age, it's just that determination to get better, to always push myself to my limits," he said. "I've always said to myself I never want to get to retirement age, look back and think 'what if I'd just done that or what if I'd pushed myself there.' No matter how good I've been or how good the season has been, there's always room to get better."