Harry Kane on Erling Haaland: "He is a real beast and a goalscoring machine"

England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane spoke highly of one of his main rivals, Erling Haaland, ahead of the World Cup quarter-finals. Amid growing comparisons between the two prolific scorers, Kane specifically praised the Norwegian star's physicality and efficiency. This clash is generating great interest not only as a duel between two national teams but also as a battle between two of the world's best central strikers. This is reported by Goal.com .

In an interview with Nettavisen, Harry Kane touched upon the differences between himself and Erling Haaland. According to him, although both are classified as strikers, their roles on the pitch and playing styles are fundamentally different. Kane considers himself a player who is more involved in team play and touches the ball more frequently.

Different roles on the pitch

"It's hard for me to answer that. First of all, we are completely different players. It's true that both of us are called strikers, but to be honest, these are almost two different positions," explained the England captain. In his view, Haaland is a pure finisher, while Kane prefers to be active in deeper areas of the pitch.

Nevertheless, Kane gave due credit to the Manchester City star's achievements. "Erling is playing incredibly, there is no questioning his statistics. Physically, he is a real machine, you could even call him a beast. His ability to convert chances is at the highest level," added the Bayern forward.

Currently, the race for the World Cup Golden Boot is also heating up between these two players. Erling Haaland has 7 goals to his name, while Harry Kane is trailing by just one. However, for Kane, individual awards come after team success.

The main goal — World Cup

Kane praised the tournament, where all strikers are scoring. He noted that the high level of competition in such major events motivates him to work even harder. No matter how good the individual results are, for Harry Kane, the 2026 championship remains the top priority.

"My main goal is to win the World Cup with England, not the Golden Boot. But I know that for my team to succeed, my job is to score goals," concluded the experienced striker. The quarter-final match will likely determine not only the semi-final spot but also who will become the tournament's top scorer.