Wayne Rooney creates England’s ideal striker using skills from both himself and Harry Kane
Wayne Rooney thinks he was pretty much the perfect England striker when you compare him to Harry Kane. During his time with the Three Lions, Rooney scored 53 goals in 120 games and played in six big international tournaments. He even broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s scoring record back in September 2015 and held it for over seven years—until Kane came along and beat it.
Kane, who now plays for Bayern Munich, is still England’s top striker. Bayern’s coach, Thomas Tuchel, is making sure he’s well looked after as they get ready to play Croatia in the World Cup on June 17.
Imagine mixing the best parts of these two amazing strikers—other than calling them “Wayne Kane” or “Harry Rooney,” what would you get? Before the World Cup, Rooney chatted with SPORTbible about how he and Kane are similar and different as players.
Right away, Rooney said Kane is the better finisher. “Yeah, he’s a better finisher,” he said quickly. That makes sense, considering Kane has scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern this season alone.
Then Rooney thought back to his own career. “It’s pretty close,” he joked. He remembered scoring 10 headers in one season for Manchester United but admitted Kane has probably scored more headers overall. “I have to give it to Harry,” he said.
Both Rooney and Kane are more than just goal scorers—they’re known for their skills on the ball, too. Rooney gave himself credit for his vision and touch. When it came to dribbling, Rooney said, “When I was younger, that was definitely my game. I was more of a dribbler early on.”
When Rooney talked about pace, he was honest. “I would’ve said me back in the day, but now Harry’s better at this stage in his career. When we were younger, probably me,” he explained.
Rooney also noticed that Kane has improved a lot in linking up with teammates over the years. He’s become a more rounded player, especially with Bayern and England. “Harry’s never been the fastest, but with experience, he’s added new skills,” Rooney said.
In the end, Rooney gave himself points for vision, touch, speed, aggression, and tackling. Kane got the nod for finishing and heading. When it came to dribbling and football smarts, they were pretty even. Put all that together, and this mixed striker would probably break every record possible for club and country!