‘Kick him’ - The only way to stop Harry Kane as ex-England defender explain hows record-shattering goalscorer benefited from swapping Tottenham for Bayern Munich

Over 200 goals were plundered in the Premier League while representing Spurs, becoming their all-time leading scorer, but a change of scenery was sought in 2023 after finding major silverware impossible to come by in north London.

Kane’s fabled trophy curse has been lifted in Germany, with the evergreen 32-year-old now a two-time Bundesliga title winner. Remarkable individual standards have been maintained at the Allianz Arena, with a personal-best return of 61 goals last season taking him to 146 in total for Bayern through 147 outings.

That form has been mirrored at international level, with Kane’s tally of efforts for England reaching 85 and counting. He is also just six caps short of matching Peter Shilton’s long-standing appearance record. GOAT status is considered by many to be on the cards.

Winning the World Cup in 2026 would go a long way towards cementing that standing, with six goals being registered at FIFA’s flagship event in North America - as the Three Lions have made their way to the quarter-final stage.

His latest was recorded in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium, with ex-Three Lions centre-half Walker - speaking in association with World Cup Betting - telling GOAL when asked if Kane can be contained: “I think you've got to kick him because he's going to kick you as well!

“That's the thing about Harry, his all round game. The very few matches he doesn't score, he still takes part in, he's still a handful. People like him and [Alan] Shearer, they've got more than one string to their bow. So, goal scoring is what they're both known for and they're both supreme goal scorers. But also, they contribute in the game.

“There's people like Ian Wright, there's people like Harry - you blink, they cannot be doing well in the 92nd, 93rd minute, but their belief that they're going to score a goal is unwavering. I think Harry's proven for 10 years. There's people who have doubted him, he's proved everybody wrong and he’s absolutely fantastic. Without him, I'm not sure where we'd be.

“At the moment, the two spearheads really are [Jude] Bellingham and Harry. They have really been, not carrying us, because I thought the team performance was an important one against Mexico, but up until then they were really leading the guard, they were really driving the team.”

Walker added on how Kane has reached the point that he is now widely considered to be the best No.9 on the planet: “Fantastic footballer. I think sometimes going abroad teaches you different aspects of the game as well. So I think Harry's adding to it - his movement, where the dangers are.

“Because obviously he was at Tottenham for so many years and you get put into that Tottenham way. Well, I think Bayern have opened up a different aspect of football to him. And he brings that on the park and now he's probably the most complete centre-forward in the world.”

Kane is proving to be a handful for the best defenders in world football at the moment. Quizzed on the most fearsome forwards that he faced, ex-Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday star Walker said: “Marco van Basten, he had everything. He had absolutely everything. His ability was frightening, his work rate was good, everything he had. He was good in the area, he was six foot two, so he had everything. The Carecas of Brazil, they're hard work.

“Everyone's a great centre-forward if you let them. You've got to stamp your authority on them. But there are a few that, given any circumstance in the game, they're unstoppable.

“[Erling] Haaland, [Kylian] Mbappe, Kane, these boys are unstoppable if you get them in a certain situation. Put Harry in the box, he's unstoppable. Mbappe in certain situations, it doesn't matter how good a defender you are, you are not going to stop him. And Haaland's the same, and that's what makes him very special.”

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