Kane ended his barren run at Euro 2020, netting the second goal against Germany in the last-16, which was assisted by Grealish.
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Jack Grealish was all praise for “unbelievable” Harry Kane after England secured a historic 2-0 win over Germany in the Euro 2020 last-16 clash. The Aston Villa attacker said Kane is the best he has ever played with. On the back of his Golden Boot-winning campaign at Tottenham Hotspur, Kane struggled to score in the group stage of this competition. But he ended his barren run at Euro 2020, netting the second goal against Germany in the last-16, which was assisted by Grealish. England will next face Ukraine in the quarterfinals in Rome on Saturday.
“It is obviously good to get your first goal at a tournament, especially when all you lot would not shut up about it,” Grealish said ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final. “It is obviously good. To get his first one, he will be buzzing but no one in there would ever doubt H. He is the best player I have ever played with. He is unbelievable. He is an unbelievable professional on and off the pitch.
“When you see him around the place, this is why he is England captain. The thing that sticks out is that he is not just a goalscorer. There are players from the past who just scored goals, goals, goals. In my opinion he will break the Premier League one and the England one but he is not just a goalscorer. He is unbelievable.”
Grealish went on to explain about what makes Kane’s overall play special and why he is more than just a goalscorer. “Like when he drops deep and finds passes and puts it through people’s legs,” he added. “He is obviously unbelievable and I am buzzing for him that he has obviously got the first goal and hopefully for all of us there are many more to come.”
Kane struggled for goals in the group stage, but ended his lean streak at Euro 2020, netting the second goal against Germany in the last-16. Southgate went on to speak about how much that goal would help Kane in this tournament.
“I played with Alan at Euro 96 and [saw] the change in him once he got that goal,” Southgate added. “We know with Harry and Raheem their goalscoring record with us has been immense and so important. We cannot just expect Harry to be the one to deliver so Raheem has weighed in at a crucial moment and is looking electric, but if we can get Harry scoring as well that is great for us as a team.
“There is a huge expectation and although at times it would feel from the outside it is a glamorous position to be in and they certainly get paid well, it comes with immense pressure and expectation and I think it is important as a manager to understand that and have empathy with that.”
Southgate feels that the victory over Germany would have been the “perfect day” for Kane. “Not only is there the public expectation but there is an inherent desire and drive that centre forwards have that if you win the game they don’t score and they are irritated.
“They cannot help that. That is the mindset of the top players. So it (the Germany win) will have been a perfect day for him. He wants the team to win more than anything else but for the team to win and him to score, without a doubt that will put a big smile on his face.”
