Harry Kane: How Tottenham forward hunted down Jimmy Greaves' record

1 year ago 57

Harry Kane and Jimmy Greaves

On the tract of the aged White Hart Lane, nether the dazzling glow of Tottenham Hotspur's modern home, Spurs fans of a definite vintage inactive marvel with wide-eyed affection astatine tales of Jimmy Greaves' goalscoring wizardry.

His was a scoring grounds that appeared untouchable, but present this procreation has its ain leader etched into lilywhite folklore - a one-season wonderment turned England skipper who has scaled the dizzy landmark acceptable by the legendary Greaves.

Harry Kane's vocation whitethorn truthful acold not person yielded immoderate squad silverware but it has seen the guardant deed the backmost of the nett astatine a relentless complaint since archetypal breaking into the Spurs broadside nether Tim Sherwood astatine the extremity of the 2013-14 season.

The 29-year-old's 266 goals for Tottenham person travel successful 415 games. Greaves reached that fig successful 379 Spurs appearances, but arrived successful northbound London arsenic 1 of the game's astir revered strikers connected the backmost of a abbreviated - but inactive prolific - spell astatine AC Milan.

Greaves had already scored 124 times successful 157 top-flight games for Chelsea earlier his short-lived Italian experiment, and picked up wherever helium near disconnected for Bill Nicholson's double-winning Tottenham broadside with a hat-trick connected his debut aft completing a £99,000 determination from the San Siro.

If Greaves' goalscoring bequest is 1 of a guardant blessed with outstanding earthy talent, Kane's volition beryllium the reward of perseverance, resilience and graft.

Rejected by Arsenal and Watford arsenic a youngster, Kane "wasn't adjacent connected the podium" erstwhile helium archetypal joined Spurs, ne'er caput being 1 of his property group's "gold medal" talents, according to erstwhile Tottenham youth-team manager Alex Inglethorpe.

"He had a beauteous method - an quality to walk and person and sprout - but if determination was thing that endeared him to you it was that helium was very, precise debased maintenance," added Inglethorpe.

"We conscionable had to support giving him opportunities to get bully astatine what helium needed - to get amended astatine heading, get amended connected his near side. That obsession to amended is undoubtedly his top strength."

Having earned his Spurs debut successful a Europa League qualifier against Hearts successful 2011, the gangly younker merchandise - inactive increasing into the assemblage of the elite jock helium would go - won a punishment lone to spot it saved.

He got disconnected the people successful a Tottenham garment successful the aforesaid contention against Shamrock Rovers a fewer months later, but humbling yet acquisition indebtedness spells astatine Millwall, Norwich and Leicester each followed earlier Kane seized his large interruption nether Sherwood.

Former Spurs striker Les Ferdinand, who worked alongside Sherwood with the club's under-21s, likened Kane's question to Teddy Sheringham and said helium struck the shot similar Alan Shearer, portion Sherwood saw a subordinate outperforming then-club grounds signing Roberto Soldado successful training.

"Harry wanted to get to the top, and thing was going to halt him achieving that due to the fact that of the ability, tendency and mentality helium possesses," said Sherwood.

"He needed to enactment connected sharpening his feet up astir the box, truthful we spent a batch of clip doing sessions wherever helium had to determination his feet a small spot quicker, unfastened the abstraction and sprout disconnected some sides.

"But helium besides had that knack of being alert of players astir him, and the quality to descent radical in. He could spot a walk and helium could execute it."

Leicester City	19
Everton	15
Arsenal	14
Southampton	11
West Ham	11

When Mauricio Pochettino arrived that summer, however, helium felt Kane was not acceptable for first-team football, alternatively reverting to Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor.

After not making the seat against West Brom, Kane went to spot the Argentine and his coaching unit and was met by reams of video investigation showing the 20-year-old wherever helium needed to amended to gain the caller boss' trust.

By November, aft a hat-trick against Asteras Tripoli - and a stint successful extremity - Pochettino placed his religion successful Kane and the young guardant responded by scoring a free-kick the manager credits with "saving" his vocation and allowing him clip to instrumentality his task astatine Tottenham.

The substitute's 90th-minute deflected victor astatine Aston Villa was the archetypal of 21 Premier League goals for Kane that play that besides included iconic doubles against Chelsea and Arsenal, scoring 31 times successful each competitions connected his mode to being voted the PFA Young Player of the Year.

The goals person flowed ever since. Three Premier League Golden Boots, to complement the 1 helium won astatine the 2018 World Cup with England, and a five-time entrant successful the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

"Harry Kane is simply a peculiar subordinate successful the past of the club," said Jose Mourinho portion Tottenham manager. "He volition bushed each imaginable record."

He has scored each sorts of goals for Spurs. Most, 164, person travel with his close ft but determination person been 51 disconnected the forward's weaker side, 49 with his caput and adjacent 2 classed arsenic "other".

Some 235 were scored wrong the box, including 39 penalties, and 31 extracurricular it, but that effort against Villa during Pochettino's reign remains the lone free-kick.

The section boy-done-good - calved successful Leytonstone conscionable 20 minutes from Greaves - has adjacent managed to thrust retired the tempest created by his erstwhile angling for a transportation to Manchester City, with his relentless thirst for goals healing the wounds of Spurs fans who inactive proudly statement Kane "one of our own".

"Just a one-season wonder," the distant extremity chanted astatine Craven Cottage arsenic Kane moved alongside Greaves with a reliably objective victor against Fulham. Always the talisman, it was his 199th Premier League extremity connected his 300th quality successful the contention for Spurs.

"To get the extremity and adjacent the grounds was a bully feeling," Kane told BBC Sport successful typically understated fashion, reasoning alternatively astir different accidental helium saw saved that would person breached it.

Former Spurs striker Gary Lineker was much effusive with his praise: "What an unthinkable accomplishment for Harry Kane to adjacent the large Jimmy Greaves arsenic all-time apical scorer for Tottenham. And, yes, earlier you start, I cognize he's not won anything. Also, that information doesn't marque him immoderate the little of a footballer."

Greaves was a antithetic guardant to Kane - helium was quick, elegant, could dribble and would people sublime solo efforts. His person and author, Norman Giller, called him "Messi with bells on" - but some strikers redefined their presumption successful their ain right. Greaves arsenic the modern English guardant of his time, Kane arsenic a goalscorer who is besides his side's main creator, winning the Premier League Playmaker of the Season prize successful 2020-21 for his 14 assists.

"At the extremity of his career, he'll spell down arsenic Tottenham's top ever player," lauded erstwhile Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher connected Sky Sports.

Having equalled Greaves' Tottenham record, Kane is present conscionable 1 shy of joining Shearer and Wayne Rooney successful the Premier League's 200-goal nine and volition person his sights acceptable connected toppling Shearer's landmark successful the contention of 260 goals.

Even if that fabled fig is reached, Greaves' grounds arsenic the all-time starring scorer successful the English apical formation volition surely stay elusive - an unthinkable 357 goals achieved during spells with Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham - but you tin stake Kane volition ne'er halt chasing it.

Harry Kane