How Kane and Haaland compare – who would you pick?Image caption, Erling Haaland has seven goals and Harry Kane six at the 2026 World CupByJoe BradshawBBC Sport senior journalistPublished11 minutes agoFrom the moment Harry Kane’s proposed move to Manchester City in August 2021 broke down, his career has been linked with that of Erling Haaland.That’s because the giant Norwegian arrived the next summer and then fired City to a Treble.Then, Kane was captain of Tottenham. He had no trophies, no silverware and seemed to have missed out on his big move.Fast forward a few years and the two face off on Saturday as central to their country’s World Cup hopes, only now with a different narrative.No longer is Kane the nearly man. Since moving to Bayern Munich in 2023, he has twice won the Bundesliga and the European Golden Shoe for top scorer on the continent.He has six goals already at this tournament.Despite being born in Leeds, Haaland, who already has seven in his first World Cup, would love nothing more than to stop him.Goals, goals, goalsFigure caption, ‘That was a rocket’ – Kane scores winner for EnglandAny comparison of Haaland and Kane has to start with the most important metric in football: goals. And these two are arguably the very best.Ever since Kane scored with his third touch for his country in March 2015, he has been the driving force behind England’s bid to end their long wait for international silverware.
Eighty five goals later, he remains the central figure of Thomas Tuchel’s side, the classy captain that can always be relied upon for a match-winning performance.
Witness his two goals against DR Congo in the last 32, and a nerveless penalty at Azteca Stadium to see off Mexico a round later as examples.
Since moving to Germany, Kane’s numbers have gone stratospheric, besting Haaland’s goal tallies every season and establishing himself as a frontrunner in the race for the Ballon d’Or.
A World Cup quarter-final though does return Kane to arguably the lowest ebb of his international career, when he missed a late penalty in a defeat by France at the Qatar finals.
As he leapfrogs Wayne Rooney into outright second for all-time England appearances (120) behind only Peter Shilton, the stage is set for him to erase that particular blot on his history.
