If he isn’t world class, what class is Harry Kane?

Harry Kane’s stunning September continued with two goals against Huddersfield. Are we allowed to call him world class yet?

Another fruitless August down the hatch, Harry Kane scored two goals against Huddersfield at John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday, bringing his tally for the season to 13. The 27 Premier League goals Kane has scored in 2017 put him nine short of Alan Shearer’s record of 36 in a calendar year, and he’s scored five in two Champions League matches.

Naturally, then, this is the perfect moment to question just how good he is. Some pundits have taken to suggesting over the past week that he’s not world class, on account of his never having done the business in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, or in the World Cup, despite having never played in either.

But if Kane isn’t world class, what class is he? In an effort to put to bed what is definitely an important and not at all stupid debate, here’s a deep dive into the most pressing question of our time, which is definitely important and not at all stupid.

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Is Harry Kane Huddersfield class? 

Kane scored two goals against the Terriers in Huddersfield on Saturday, and dominated their center-backs so thoroughly in the first half his team didn’t even really need to try in the second. So yes, Harry Kane is definitely Huddersfield class. However, Huddersfield, for all its charm, is a small town, its club a small club.

Is Harry Kane London class? 

Kane scored two goals in London against West Ham last week, bringing his tally in London this season to four. In addition, 17 of Kane’s 29 league goals last season were scored in the capital. So yes, Harry Kane is definitely London class, and unlike Huddersfield, London is a very, very big town. But London, contrary to the opinion of the worst kind of people who live there, is not the world.

Is Harry Kane Cyprus class? 

Kane scored a hat-trick against APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday. APOEL have won five Cypriot First Division titles in a row and a record 26 in their history (along with 20 second place finishes). Suffice it to say, Harry Kane is most definitely Cyprus class. But Cyprus is only a small island nation in the Mediterranean, not a geopolitical powerhouse on the scale of, say, Germany.

Is Harry Kane German class? 

Kane scored two goals against Borussia Dortmund earlier this season. Dortmund, who have become a staple in the knockout rounds of the Champions League in the past decade, are exactly the sort of club against which world class players score, but, like some kind of idiot, Kane scored his goals against them in London. Does he deserve the benefit of the doubt? Perhaps. Germany have won only a paltry four World Cups, after all.

Is Harry Kane Brazil class? 

Kane has not only never scored a goal against Brazil, he’s also never scored a goal in Brazil. In fact, there’s no record of him ever even having visited the country. This makes evaluating his record of zero goals in zero games against and/or in Brazil difficult. However, Pele, generally considered to be one of the best two players in the history of the game, once called Kane “excellent,” and Pele knows a thing or two about scoring goals in Brazil.

Would Harry Kane have started for Brazil’s 1970 World Cup team?

Kane is a good a player, as evidenced by all the goals he keeps on scoring, but to say he would deserve a place in perhaps the most iconic team in the history of the sport, ahead of Pele his very self, is simply beyond the pale. So no, Harry Kane would not have started for the greatest team of all time. Look for Fernando Llorente to start Tottenham’s next match.