LONDON: Harry Kane broke Alan Shearer’s Premier League record for goals in a calendar year as he put Tottenham in front in their 5-2 Boxing Day win against Southampton.
Kane went on to score a hat trick, with the second of those three goals seeing him move ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi for the most Goals for club and country by any player in Europe’s major leagues in 2017. It was his second successive hat-trick after last weekend’s treble against Burnley.
Kane has 39 league goals and 56 goals for Spurs and England in 2017, while Messi hit 54 for Barcelona and Argentina. Kane’s tally breaks a seven-year run of either Messi or Ronaldo finishing as the top scorer for club and country while playing in Europe’s top five leagues.
“I’m very proud,” Kane said of finishing above his La Liga rivals. “Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football for so long and they’re two of the greatest players ever so it’s an honour to even be compared to them.
“I’ll keep working harder, it’s about finding little percents to get better and doing things on the training ground to make you better. There’s a great staff here and a great manager here who will keep pushing me, don’t you worry about that! I’ll have to take [my teammates] out for dinner to thank them!”
Shearer set the previous Premier record with 36 goals in 1995 with Blackburn.
Kane added: “As always I wanted to win the game first and foremost, but of course I wanted to score as a striker. To get that goal early on and get that record was a great feeling and I could enjoy the rest of the game.
“This year I would say physically I have improved, recovery from games, getting ready, we have such a busy schedule. Just making sure I’m ready for each game, eating right, recovering right with ice baths. I feel really good. I feel sharp and at my best.
“Just getting more experience should make me a better player anyway.”
When asked for his favourite goals of the year, Kane said: “I liked the second one against Huddersfield from outside the box with the left foot. That was nice.
“That third goal today was good; the third goal against Burnley I think summed up how I play with the tackle and then the touch and finish, so there’s been some good goals but hopefully some better ones in 2018.”
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