As England and Norway gear up to face each other in the World Cup quarter-final stage, the strikers stand out from the crowd. Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are the undisputed best in the world at their position, but what position is that really? Because while they both play striker, they do it very differently.
So, who is the quintessential “modern” striker? It’s probably time to talk about that, before the two come face to face on the world’s biggest stage.
Histories interwoven
Harry Kane started his senior professional
career playing for Tottenham Hotspur. After multiple loan spells he finally found his feet under manager Mauricio Pochettino, quickly becoming one of the top strikers in the league. Accolades, however, eluded him. Falling short of trophies numerous times, including a heartbreaking loss in a Champions League final to Liverpool, Kane eventually had enough. Bayern Munich called and he answered.
Erling Haaland first caught the attention of the wider footballing world in 2019, with exemplary performances for RB Salzburg. Borussia Dortmund quickly snatched him up, and he proved his worth, going blow-for-blow with none other than Robert Lewandowski for the Bundesliga Torjägerkanone. He saw some success, winning a DFB Pokal title in 2021, but it was his move to Manchester City that saw him scale the heights of global football. The continental treble in 2022 should have won him a Ballon d’Or, if Messi didn’t beat him to the punch with a World Cup that year.
Ironically, these two players influenced each other’s careers, even though they didn’t know it. Manchester City tried to sign Harry Kane first, and only moved on to Haaland when Spurs rejected their advances. Bayern Munich wanted Haaland first, and only moved for Kane when the Haaland dream became impossible (there was also a brief thing with Sadio Mané, no one talks about it).
The contrast is right there. One left England for Germany, the other left Germany for England. One collected individual honors and struggled for team accolades, while the other did taste team glory, but individual scoring milestones remained elusive.
In fact, the only aspect that doesn’t contrast is their decision to move to bigger clubs, which turned out to be the right choice. However, you can’t change the country you play for. So what exactly are England and Norway bringing to the table?
Different ways to play the game
Erling Haaland is a simple player to understand. He’s a big guy. He’s fast, he’s good in the air. He shoots the ball like a WW2 battleship. Defenders lose years of their lives trying to mark him.
Then there are his more deceptive qualities. He can receive passes with his back to goal, protect the ball, and allow his team to use him as an offensive pivot. He is by far the best in the world at doing so. Only Robert Lewandowski in his prime could rival the Norwegian, but Lewy hasn’t been in his prime for some time now.
Harry Kane, meanwhile, is very different. Superficially, he resembles Haaland — a big tall blond guy who scores lots of goals. Stylistically, the England captain could barely be more different. Kane is a sniper, his shooting is second to none in both power and placement. Yes, that includes Haaland. He is also blessed with the technical ability of a midfielder, able to launch pinpoint passes from deep inside his own half.
Which is where you’ll often find him. Harry Kane does not function as a traditional striker. He likes to drop deep and collect the ball, then spring a counterattack that eventually sees him on the end of a goal. Harry Kane creates. He hustles. He gets back and gets stuck in defending. He moves all over the pitch.
Haaland probably beats Kane in a pure physical contest. But that is not the contest Kane is interested in. Kane scores just as many as Haaland while juggling ten other things at the same time. It is a double-edged sword, because sometimes it means the England captain can’t be where he’s needed, which is inside the box. However, it is the niche that Kane has carved for himself.
Haaland, essentially, is the perfect form of an orthodox striker. Kane is unconventional, a hybrid, not quite a false-9 but not quite a target man. When it comes to goals, though, there is nothing separating these two. Except, maybe, their supporting cast.
The deputies
Harry Kane gets Jude Bellingham as his main man, someone who can pick up the scoring burden and also provide creativity and energy in midfield. Haaland, meanwhile, has Martin Ødegaard, a creative force that helps unlock defenses.
Their contrasts reflect the differences in their strikers. In the end, it may be the showdown between these deputies that determines the outcome of the game, in case the main stars don’t get it done themselves.
Conclusion
Erling Haaland could have played for England. That’s one of the things people forget. In another universe, Haaland and Kane could have been playing on the same side of this quarter-final, against a different team, because Norway would never have made it this far without Haaland’s intervention.
These two demonstrate the breadth of possibilities that exist at striker in the modern game. Add Kylian Mbappé and you get a trifecta. Who among them is the “perfect” one? It’s a matter of taste. For some, the question will be settled on Saturday, when England take on Norway in a World Cup quarter-final.
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