in

I played with Harry Kane but little-known Premier League midfielder was the best team-mate I ever had


A FORMER England strike partner of Harry Kane has snubbed the star when naming the best player they’ve played with.

This forward was once tipped to be the next best thing after coming through the ranks at West Brom.

Saido Berahino and Harry Kane were strike partners for England U21sCredit: Getty
The striker burst on the scene at West Brom then endured a nightmare at StokeCredit: Getty

He burst onto the scene with ten goals in 23 games while on loan at Northampton and Brentford.

A further stint out at Peterborough followed before Saido Berahino finally got his Premier League breakthrough in the 2013/14 campaign.

The now 30-year-old scored nine times that season but followed it up with 20 the following term.

Having already represented England at U17 level and at the 2012 U19 European Championship, his hot club form gained him further international recognition.

READ MORE ON FOOTBALL

Gareth Southgate called him up to his U21 side where he and Kane, who has gone on to be his country’s all-time top scorer, were both in attack.

Berahino was even voted the 2014 U21 Player of the Year by supporters, receiving 16 per cent more votes than the now Three Lions skipper and Bayern Munich star.

The pair could even have been strike partners at club level as Tottenham had a £22m transfer bid rejected by West Brom in August 2015.

Having failed to secure his big move away, the goals dried up that season as he hit only seven and then drew a complete blank in 2016/17 after more bids from Stoke and Crystal Palace were rejected.

Most read in Football

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

Finally, he secured his exit from the Hawthorns in January 2017 in a £15m deal to Stoke but it turned into a nightmare.

He failed to score for the Potters until August 2018, but he would only score another four that despite Stoke now plying their trade in the Championship.

TABLET: DT Profile: England’s Berahino

Berahino’s England hopes had also ended by this point – although he had become a firm fixture in the Burundi squad by then and featured at the African Nations Cup.

That summer he ended up attempting to reignite his career in Belgium with top-flight minnows Waregem, scoring six in 18 appearances.

After starting the next season with them, he switched to Charleroi on loan before a brief return to Waregem.

Berahino came back to England in 2021 for a season with Sheffield Wednesday, where he scored eight times.

He has been plying his trade in Cyprus since leaving Hillsborough the following year and is still at AEL Limassol these days.

Berahino has represented nine clubs and two countries throughout his well-travelled career, playing with literally hundreds of different players.

But rather than choose Kane, it was a Scottish international that he opted for when he was quizzed in a Q&A on X about the best player that he has played with.

Can you name the famous fathers?

“Graham Dorrans,” was his almost instant reply.

The now 37-year-old spent seven years at West Brom from 2008 and later two years at Norwich.

He headed back to Scotland in 2017 to join Rangers and then Dundee prior to a stint in Australia.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

While Dorrans remained his pick throughout the Q&A as the question was asked several times, he looked a lot closer to home when asked about “the best and worst team mate”.

Berahino replied: “Best dorrans. Worst myself.”

Graham Dorrans was a huge favourite with fans at West BromCredit: Getty


Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk


Tagcloud:

Forgotten former Premier League star, 30, opens door to Wrexham transfer after once being tipped for England

Ex-Premier League star who boasts one of football’s funniest chants in line for Reims job after leaving league champions