Legendary Italian manager and former England boss Fabio Capello has declared who he thinks is a better all-round striker between Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane.
With Euro 2020 nearing its eventual climax, Lukaku’s Belgium and Kane’s England are both in with a shout of helping their country to win the competition for the first ever time.
If results go their way, the pair could even meet in the final at Wembley.
Despite both enjoying extremely successful individual seasons - where Lukaku won the Serie A’s Most Valuable Player award whilst Kane added a third Premier League Golden Boot and the Playmaker award to his collection - the Belgian has had the better start to the competition in front of goal, finding the net three times to Kane’s one.
However, Capello still thinks that England’s captain is the go-to man, as he expressed in a recent interview for Sportsmail: “I always say Kane because he has more qualities than the Belgian but Lukaku is a very strong player,” he said.
“Let’s say I would have liked both but if I had to choose I would always say Kane. He has extraordinary quality.”
It took Kane a while to get going at the Championships, but after he helped England clinch victory over Germany on Tuesday evening, Capello believes the striker will come to life at the tournament, and has praised England’s current boss, Gareth Southgate, for placing so much trust in him.
“In his case we must underline Southgate’s skill in knowing how to wait patiently for Kane: now he’s unlocked.”
However, the Italian’s admission might not sit too well with Lukaku, who previously demanded to be recognised in the same bracket as the other elite strikers in world football.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of Belgium's last-16 tie with Portugal, the 28-year-old said: “When they talk about [Robert] Lewandowski, [Karim] Benzema, [Luis] Suarez, [Harry] Kane, they would say it’s world-class level and with me, it’s always about being in good form.
“In the last two years I think I have shown it’s not just good form. I belong with that group. I am at that level.”
It’s fair to say that if it does end up being a Belgium vs England final, these two will want to prove who is the better talisman.
