Tottenham striker Harry Kane is close to being on a level with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo... and would be a nightmare to defend against, insists former defender Rio Ferdinand

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Tottenham striker Harry Kane is close to being on a level with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to former defender Rio Ferdinand.

Kane was in excellent form on Tuesday night as his hat-trick sealed a 3-0 away victory over APOEL Nicosia.

His display caught the attention of former England and Manchester United central defender Ferdinand, who was appearing as a pundit on BT Sport's Champions League highlights show.

Rio Ferdinand praised Harry Kane's performance for Tottenham on Tuesday night

Kane walked off the pitch with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick against APOEL

'Those kind of stats are up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,' he said when asked to comment on Kane's record of six hat-tricks for Tottenham in 2017.

He added: 'He's quickly letting people know that he is here to stay. A couple of seasons ago everyone was asking if he could repeat his first two seasons by getting 20-plus goals.

'He's scoring all types of goals. He'd be a nightmare to play against at centre half.'  

Kane spoke of his pride after Tottenham stayed joint top of Group H with Real Madrid.

He said: 'It was a very proud night for myself and the team as well,' said the England striker, who added that he has his sights set on a bigger hat-trick. 

'I want to win Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues, FA Cups, that's what we want to try to do.'

Kane celebrates scoring his second goal in Cyprus on a dominant evening for Tottenham