‘England’s greatest No.9’ - Harry Kane told he has eclipsed Wayne Rooney & Alan Shearer as Joe Cole claims Bayern Munich striker ‘deserves’ a Champions League triumph

Kane lifted his fabled trophy curse when becoming a Bundesliga title winner with Bayern in 2025. That trophy has been retained 12 months on, with more beer-soaked celebrations being lined up in Bavaria, while continental honours are also up for grabs.

The kings of German football have work to do in their epic European semi-final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain following a nine-goal thriller at Parc des Princes that sees the reigning champions taking a narrow lead to the Allianz Arena for a decisive second leg.

Cole claims that Kane “deserves” to get his hands on the most prestigious prize in club football, which in turn would make him a serious contender to pick up a Golden Ball later in the year as he is recognised as the best player on the planet.

That would be some achievement by Kane, who overcame several challenges as a youngster to see patience rewarded at Tottenham. He is the finest marksman that Spurs have ever seen, while taking his tally of international goals to 78 through 112 appearances.

If Kane - who has captained England in two European Championship finals - could inspire his country to a first major trophy since 1966, then he would make a case for being considered the greatest of all-time in English football.

Ex-Three Lions star Cole - who has come out of retirement to make a goal-scoring appearance for Warley FC, Specsavers’ Best Worst Team that registered one win and 18 defeats last season - believes that Kane is already the GOAT in one department.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL, Cole said: “Without doubt he's England's greatest No. 9. And I'm including Shearer and Rooney in that. I think he's gone above them in that. You see the goals he's scored, it's ridiculous.

“If he wins a Ballon d'Or, then he's in the conversation. If he wins the World Cup, he's even more in the conversation. But it's just great that he's one of ours. He's been the quietly unassuming hero that's just crept along. And now all of a sudden we realise how good he is.”

Cole went on to say of a man that has found the target on 139 occasions for Bayern through 142 appearances in all competitions: “What he's gone and done in Germany is remarkable. I would love to see him win the Champions League, because I think he deserves it.

“His story is there for young people and grassroots football - released from Arsenal and it didn't quite go his way. I think it would be a wonderful story if he was to get right to the very top and scale it - fingers crossed!”

Bayern have Kane tied to a contract through to the summer of 2027. Exit clauses in that deal have expired, making a move this summer unlikely, but transfer speculation continues to rage as no fresh terms have been signed in Bavaria.

Discussions are planned, with those in Munich understandably reluctant to part with a prized asset that has rewritten the history books on a regular basis, and Cole will be among those watching on from afar as Kane endeavours to cement his legacy and become a source of inspiration to aspiring hopefuls across several generations to come.

Warley FC's transformation is being documented by Specsavers in its ‘Best Worst Team’ YouTube series. Watch Joe Cole in episode 9 and subscribe to the Specsavers’ Best Worst Team YouTube Channel to follow the team's journey.

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