THERE isn’t a team in the world who wouldn’t tear open Santa’s sack if they thought Harry Kane or Jude Bellingham was the gift inside it.
That they are now worth even more than the £200million-plus Bayern Munich and Real Madrid paid for them is of great credit to the quality of coaching in English football.
It also underlines how standards here have soared since the introduction of the Premier League.
Those are all pluses. The minus is both are scoring floods of goals on foreign fields, not ours. Yes, we’re more likely to see a sleigh in the sky than either in the Premier League this season.
Kane left his much-loved Spurs primarily as he grew frustrated at a failure to win major trophies.
But also because his club were adamant about the size of his transfer fee having practically shut the door on an English rival.
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So off to Bayern it was and 21 goals in 15 games in the Bundesliga is the kind of return offered only by Erling Haaland of current strikers.
It is no accident Bellingham’s behaviour on and off the field is similar to Kane’s — civilised and appreciative of fans.
He joined Borussia Dortmund in 2017 as a 17-year-old, leaving last summer for a fee that could reach £115m with add-ons.
He has offered a fountain of goals for Real and is on his way to earning the idol status enjoyed by Bernabeu titans Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Alfredo Di Stefano.
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After 15 games he shared the club’s record of 13 goals with Portuguese great Ronaldo — who played as a forward. Bellingham isn’t.
He is “the complete midfielder,” according to former Bayern and Germany captain Philipp Lahm.
At 20, he already has 27 England caps and two goals. Expect those figures to change dramatically.
And boss Gareth Southgate hopes that will be in time for next summer’s Euros.
Bellingham has many similarities with Kane. Both are tall and exceptional in the air.
Maybe the younger man has slightly better ball control, while Kane possesses all the hunger of a top striker.
His partnership with Son Heung-min led to numerous Spurs goals for the speedy South Korean.
He is an accurate and sometimes penetrative passer of the ball, willing to run forever and quick to take up devastating attacking positions.
For different reasons, these outstanding talents have left these shores.
There must be a chance that at least Bellingham, already of Birmingham, Dortmund and now Real, will return at some stage.
When exactly, no one can forecast although the lad from Stourbridge and his father Mark — a retired police sergeant and once a useful striker — might well have a plan for his entire career.
One thing we do know is that Jude is already rich and will become a great deal richer, possibly even in the Ronaldo-Lionel Messi bracket.
Logically, only two or three clubs here will be able to afford his transfer fee, never mind his wages, his agent’s costs and his accountants.
Again, like Kane, Jude is straightforward and happy to chat to whoever asks questions.
This was not true of many star players pre-Southgate, who encouraged his team to open up in public.
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As England’s greatest goalscorer, Kane has lots of awards but no trophies. He is also humble and a credit to his country.
Accidents and injuries apart, I fancy his cups are not far away. Bellingham has time to win hatfuls.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
