World Class Players or Form?
“World-class” is a grey area in football. It’s clear that Messi and Ronaldo belong in that category, but what about beyond them? How far should the “world-class” title extend? Robert Lewandowski arguably has the strongest claim to be included – his 55 goals in 2019/20 were sensational, and if the Ballon d’Or went ahead many expected him to be the winner.
Looking at the Premier League, a few players immediately spring to mind: Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, and Sadio Mané. Each have performed marvels for their teams in recent years, and they would walk into any side in the world. But what about the Spurs duo, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min? They have also been consistently excellent performers for their club, and although they have hardly gone unnoticed, it’s arguable that they deserve even greater praise. Here’s why it’s time we started talking about Kane and Son as truly “world-class” footballers.
They’ve Reached New Heights
Although a footballer’s value shouldn’t be reduced to just their number of goals and assists, it’s inevitable that attacking players are judged by their end product. For Kane and Son, at least, the numbers don’t disappoint. Although they’ve always been top players, with Kane in particular winning the plaudits for two Premier League golden boots, their performances this season have reached new heights. Son is now the Premier League top scorer thanks to his cool finishing and searing runs, plundering eight goals and a further two assists in only six games.
Kane has also scored an impressive five goals, but it’s his passing and vision which have really caught the eye. Astonishingly, he leads the league with eight assists – pulling the strings from deeper positions to create chance after chance for Son. It’s clear that Kane is no longer just an out-and-out number nine – and in future, his playmaking abilities may come even more to the fore.
In only six Premier League games so far this season, the dynamic duo have combined to score nine goals together – with either Son or Kane assisting the other to score. This means that, at the time of writing, they have combined for a total of 29 Premier League goals across all seasons, making them the second-most deadly partnership in Premier League history – behind only Drogba and Lampard with 36. The way they’re going this season, it surely won’t be long until they hold the record outright. Given their current form, some are even starting to talk of Spurs as possible title contenders this season. With both Liverpool and Manchester City dropping early points, it’s clear that football betting in 20/21 season promises to be as unpredictable and exciting as it’s been for years.
What about the trophies?
It’s unfortunate, but it’s probably fair to say that if Kane and Son played for a title-winning side they would be considered world-class without question. Although Spurs are showing promising signs this season under Mourinho, they are still far below the domineering heights reached by teams such as Liverpool and Bayern Munich in recent seasons. Despite Kane and Son’s impressive form, it’s still early days – and it remains to be seen how much of an impact Gareth Bale will have on the team’s fortunes this season. Could Bale unbalance the productive Kane-Son partnership, or will he step-up to form a world- class triumvirate to propel Spurs up the table? Only time will tell.
It may be that the lack of team success is holding Kane and Son back, but it’s clear from their individual performances that they deserve to be recognised as world-class. As Gary Neville has said, Son Heung-min would slot into the left wing of any of the top sides, and Harry Kane is unarguably one of the best strikers in the world – with perhaps only Lewandowski still ahead of him in that position.