Miami (Florida) [US], July 11 : England captain Harry Kane has brushed aside comparisons with Norway striker Erling Haaland ahead of their blockbuster FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final, insisting his sole focus is guiding the Three Lions to World Cup glory rather than winning the tournament's Golden Boot, reported Reuters.
England and Norway will face each other at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida on Saturday (local time) in one of the most anticipated quarter-final fixtures of the tournament. Both Kane and Haaland are among the leading scorers, with Haaland having scored seven goals so far, one more than Kane, while Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe lead the chart with eight goals each.
Asked who he considered the better striker, Kane declined to draw comparisons with the Norwegian forward.
"Impossible one for me to answer. First of all, I think we're completely different players, almost. I know we're both senior strikers, but we play almost two different positions," Kane told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.
"I see myself as a different player, although I score the same goals. I like to maybe touch the ball a little bit more, but I can also play as maybe the out-and-out nine," he said.
The England skipper also praised Haaland's performances and his goal-scoring ability.
"Erling has been incredible. Physically, he's a machine; he's a beast. His finishing is at the highest level, and obviously his goal-scoring record speaks for itself," Kane said.
"I respect him a lot as a player, as a fellow professional. Obviously, hoping he has a quiet day tomorrow, but I think his overall performances over these recent years speak for themselves. He's a fantastic player," he added.
Despite being in contention for the Golden Boot, the 32-year-old striker said winning the World Cup with England would be a far greater achievement than any individual award.
"My main goal is to win the World Cup with England, not the Golden Boot," Kane said, according to Reuters.
"But I also know I'm the goalscorer. I'm the number nine. So if I'm scoring goals, it's obviously going to help the team," he added.
Saturday's match will also see Kane equal Wayne Rooney's record of 120 appearances as England's most-capped outfield player.
"Obviously, extremely proud to reach the same caps as 'Wazza', one of England's greatest ever players," Kane said.
"I don't like to look too far ahead into the future. I like to take maybe a month at a time or six weeks at a time, and kind of set myself small targets throughout the season. Obviously, this season has gone very well on that front, but important games to play still. So I think that's what keeps me kind of hungry," he added.
England head into the contest after a dramatic 3-2 victory over co-hosts Mexico in the Round of 16 despite playing much of the second half with 10 men. Jude Bellingham scored twice before Kane converted the decisive penalty as Thomas Tuchel's side reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the 11th time.
Norway, meanwhile, created history by defeating five-time champions Brazil 2-1 to reach the last eight for the first time, with Haaland scoring both goals in a memorable victory.
England manager Thomas Tuchel reserved high praise for his captain ahead of the knockout clash.
"We speak about him in every match because he decides all the matches for us," Tuchel said.
"He's our leader; he leads by example. He's in the shape of his life and at the highest peak of his career. He has the mindset of a team player. He's ready to lead by example and to push everybody, always ready to take responsibility, always ready to perform and help us. It's a privilege to have him as captain, a privilege to be his coach," he added.
While England carry a dominant 7-2 head-to-head advantage over Norway and have not conceded a goal to the Scandinavians in their last four meetings, Stale Solbakken's side arrive in Miami full of confidence after eliminating Brazil and scoring 12 goals in five matches.
The winners of Saturday's contest will advance to the World Cup semi-finals, where they will face either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland.