‘Big ask’ for Harry Kane to emulate Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo as former Bayern Munich star makes bold 2030 World Cup prediction for England captain

Former England winger Chris Waddle is another to have cast doubt over Kane’s involvement at another World Cup, telling GOAL recently when being quizzed on the same subject: “Fitness is a great thing to have. Some players develop, get better as they get older. Some find it easier. Not easier, but easy.

“We’ll see how his legs are in two years’ time, at the Euros even. People will be questioning that. The thing with Harry’s advantage is he’s a fit lad, we know that. He doesn’t rely on pace. He’s got a great football brain.

“Sometimes you see players in tournaments and you think, ‘His legs are going there’. I’m looking at Ronaldo as an example. I watched Portugal play in the World Cup and his legs were gone in my eyes for that level of football. Lionel Messi still had bits of brilliance until the rest of his team-mates decided to try and kick everybody out of the country.

“So I think there’s a time and a place where you’ve actually got to think, ‘Yeah, he can still play, and he can still play like Messi does in Miami, a good level for him’. You know, Ronaldo in Saudi can still handle it. And Harry, eventually he’ll come to a time where you think the Bundesliga is too quick. Where do you go from there?

“The next World Cup, it’s a big ask for him, I think, to play in that tournament. I think some of these players can think, ‘Yeah, I’m still playing football, but that level’s out of me now, and I’ve enjoyed it’. I think some of these players try and play too long and it doesn’t look great on them. But I’m sure Harry will know when the time’s right to say, ‘No, I can’t play for England anymore’.”