Graeme Souness has claimed that England paid the price for Harry Kane’s selfish desire to win the Golden Boot at the World Cup.
Kane scored twice and provided three assists in five matches in Qatar (Transfermarkt) but it was the striker’s penalty miss that sent England crashing out at the Quarterfinal stage.
(Photo by Berengui/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
The Tottenham man had beaten his club teammate Hugo Lloris from the spot earlier in the game and was asked to repeat the trick in the dying stages of the game but he blazed the ball over the bar.
The 29-year-old took to social media to accept responsibility for the Three Lions’ elimination and stated that he was proud of his teammates for the way they performed through the tournament.
Souness did put England’s elimination down on Kane’s shoulders but not because of his missed penalty, but instead suggesting that the striker played through injury because he wanted to win the Golden Boot.
The pundit wrote in his column for The Daily Mail: “But England’s other Harry, Kane, was not so good in Qatar. I said he had to have a very good tournament for England to win it. He was poor. Was the reason for that the ankle injury he sustained in the 43rd minute in the opener against Iran?
“They made a big mistake by leaving him on the pitch until the 76th minute. They were 3-0 up, get him off! Especially given his history of ankle problems.
“Sometimes, players need protecting from themselves. It’s about the bigger picture, about him being right for future games. But Harry was thinking about goals and the Golden Boot, instead of thinking USA, Wales and beyond. England paid the price.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Pundits often write and say proactive things that they do not actually believe so that their videos and articles get traction.
I hope for Souness’ sake that this is one such case as it would be a terrible indictment of his understanding of the game if he genuinely believes what he has just written here.
Kane was clearly one of England’s best players in the matches against Senegal and France, despite missing the penalty in the latter.
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