Harry Kane Picks the Four Best Retired Strikers of All Time
Harry Kane named Ronaldo Nazário, Raul, Wayne Rooney and Teddy Sheringham on a Mount Rushmore of retired strikers.
Kane is one of the most prolific scorers of his generation and arguably underappreciated. He recently surpassed a record set by Lionel Messi becoming the fastest player to register 20 goal involvements in a single season.
In a recent sit down with GOAL, Kane was asked to name his four best retired centre forwards. A key caveat that forced him to steer away from the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Brazilian Ronaldo... Wayne Rooney... Raul... Teddy Sheringham,” Kane said, also providing further context around each player.
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Kane Credits Sheringham as Influence on His Career
“Watched him growing up and, very clever footballer. Had an amazing career and just someone who I felt like I watched a lot and learned a lot from when I was younger,” Kane said of Sheringham.
Sheringham is a Tottenham Hotspur legend, much like Kane. He is the 13th best goalscorer in Premier League history with 146 goals. Most of Sheringham’s big trophies came during his time with the 1998–99 treble-winning Manchester United—a trend similar to Kane. Though, he clearly attributes much of his growth as a player to Sheringham.
Another player Kane heavily credits is Real Madrid icon Raúl: “Loved watching Raúl grow up at Real Madrid. Clever player, great finisher.” He also called Rooney “one of the best strikers to ever do it.”
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How Harry Kane Compares to His Mount Rushmore
Player | Goals* |
|---|---|
Harry Kane | 476 |
Raul | 429 |
Ronaldo Nazário | 385 |
Wayne Rooney | 366 |
Teddy Sheringham | 317 |
*Stats per Transfermarkt as of Oct. 22, 2025. Stats exclude youth level goals
Speaking to Kane’s prolific ability, he’s outscored all four players he mentioned. Trophies, a consistent argument against Kane’s otherwise stellar career, are heavily swayed toward the other four, but there’s no doubting the Bayern Munich man’s ability for finding the back of the net.
And, he’s only 32 years old. There’s still time in his career to chase major honours, but there’s also a chance he returns to the Premier League in the future.
Kane registered 213 goals in the English top-flight during his time with Spurs. It was long considered that he would eclipse Alan Shearer’s league record of 260, but a move to Bavaria halted that chase.
Could he return in the future? Perhaps, but Kane seems focused on delivering more silverware in Germany first.
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