With Harry Kane set for a dramatic return to North London against Arsenal in the Champions League, this time in Bayern Munich colours, the long-running debate around England’s greatest striker has flared up again.
And, honestly, it got a bit lively on Gary Neville’s The Overlap podcast, as revealed in a video uploaded via their official X account, where Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Ian Wright, and Jill Scott all seemed pretty confident in crowning Wayne Rooney as the country’s No. 1.
Watch the video below:
Rooney’s case isn’t exactly weak. His blend of raw power, creativity, and that almost chaotic energy made him far more than just a finisher. He ended with 208 Premier League goals and 53 for England, numbers that were record-breaking in their time.
Even though Kane, who had earlier expressed his willingness to continue with Bayern, has pushed past him on the international charts, he’s now at 74 and still going; the pundits argued that Rooney brought something wider. Something that went beyond scoring tap-ins or poacher goals.
Softfootball understands that things got a bit messy when the conversation shifted to second place. Alan Shearer, with his massive 260 Premier League goals, was backed by Neville as the league’s greatest pure scorer. Shearer had that title-winning fire at Blackburn and then carried Newcastle on his shoulders for years.
Still, Carragher pushed back, putting Kane ahead of Shearer thanks to his international record and the fact that he’s smashed the Bundesliga so fast he became the quickest player to reach 50 goals there. He also beats Shearer on efficiency, 127.5 minutes per Premier League goal compared to Shearer’s 147.3.
Michael Owen’s name came up too, of course. A Ballon d’Or winner, lightning-fast in his prime, and forever remembered for destroying Germany with that hat-trick in 2001. But injuries dragged him down, so the panel settled him in fourth.
All this chatter kind of sets the scene for tonight. Kane, once Tottenham’s nightmare for Arsenal with 14 derby goals, is about to walk onto the Emirates pitch again, except not in the shirt anyone expected a few years ago.
With both teams unbeaten in the Champions League and the atmosphere already bubbling, everyone’s wondering whether Kane will deliver another chapter to his already wild career.
