Tottenham’s Kane snub finally silenced as England’s World Cup saviour
Joe Cole calls out Spurs’ failure to recognize Kane’s class, just as the Bayern striker fires England into the 2026 knockout rounds with a double.
Joe Cole calls out Spurs’ failure to recognize Kane’s class, just as the Bayern striker fires England into the 2026 knockout rounds with a double.
Harry Kane erased doubt with two goals in England’s 3–0 demolition of DR Congo, putting the Three Lions in the 2026 World Cup knockout rounds and himself in the Golden Boot hunt. The 32-year-old striker, who spent 19 years at Tottenham without a trophy, is now the poster child for redemption. His brace against DR Congo—sharp finishes in the 15th and 61st minutes—silenced critics who once dismissed him as a Spurs-only phenomenon.
The result kept England top of Group C on six points, setting up a winner-takes-all clash with Denmark on Friday. Kane’s haul moved him to three goals in the tournament, level with Ollie Watkins and Kylian Mbappé for the scoring lead. ’ Cole’s blunt assessment underscores the gulf between Spurs’ trophy-less stagnation and Kane’s Bayern Munich success, where he’s now a serial winner under Thomas Tuchel.
The contrast is stark: Spurs’ 19-year wait for silverware versus Kane’s Champions League and Bundesliga triumphs in just two seasons. Kane’s World Cup redemption arc is complete. After years of being the ‘nearly man’ at Spurs—chasing but never lifting silverware—he’s now the architect of England’s most promising tournament run in a decade.
His partnership with Ollie Watkins has redefined the Three Lions’ attack, combining clinical finishing with relentless pressing. Watkins’ two-goal haul against DR Congo highlighted the depth of England’s strike force, but it was Kane’s composure in the 61st minute that broke the game open. The duo’s chemistry has forced opponents to respect both the target man and the poacher, a luxury England haven’t enjoyed since Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch.
The numbers back the shift. 85 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes—elite for a striker in Europe’s top five leagues. His conversion rate of 22% ranks among the continent’s best, a far cry from the 14% he managed during his final three seasons at Tottenham.
This uptick in efficiency has translated directly to England, where his shot map against DR Congo showed seven attempts from inside the box, six of them on target. The data confirms what the eye already saw: Kane is no longer a player defined by his club’s limitations. The tactical evolution in Kane’s game is impossible to ignore.
At Tottenham, he often dropped deep to create because the service was lacking; at Bayern, he stays higher, trusting the supply line. That shift has rippled through England’s setup. The national team now deploys him as a pure penalty-box predator rather than a hybrid playmaker, a role that suits his physical intelligence.
The data shows it: fewer touches in midfield, more shots in the danger zone. This isn't just a change of scenery; it's a tactical optimization that Spurs never pulled off, leaving their greatest asset to figure it out abroad. Beyond the tactics, this tournament run serves as a brutal referendum on the Premier League’s handling of homegrown icons.
Kane’s departure wasn’t just a transfer; it was a market correction. While the North London club held out for a fee, Bayern invested in a finished product who is now delivering on the biggest stage. The narrative that English players shouldn't move abroad is dying a quiet death.
Kane is proving that the grass isn't just greener in the Bundesliga—it’s paved with silverware, and his performances in the US are rubbing salt in a wound that Tottenham’s trophy cabinet won't heal anytime soon. What’s next: England face Denmark on Friday in a must-win match to secure top spot in Group C. A win would avoid a potential Round of 16 clash with France, while a loss risks a brutal knockout-stage draw.
For Kane, the focus stays on goals—and proving this isn’t a one-off. Read at Mirror Sport
Harry Kane’s delayed vindication at the 2026 World Cup exposes the cost of Tottenham’s trophy drought and institutional blind spots. His Bayern success and England heroics rewrite his legacy from Spurs’ ‘nearly man’ to serial winner, forcing a reckoning over how clubs value elite strikers. The narrative shift isn’t just personal—it’s a cautionary tale about ambition versus complacency in elite football. It also underscores the fragility of club reputations built on missed opportunities, with Spurs’ inability to retain Kane now a permanent stain on their modern-era CV.
Mirror Sportmirror.co.ukBy mirrornews@mirror.co.uk (Stephen Killen, Patrick Austen-Hardy)2 Jul, 17:27en-gb
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