Harry Kane is the most prolific striker in world football in 2017 – better even than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
HARRY KANE has been hailed as world class by boss Mauricio Pochettino - and our stats can reveal he is actually the game's hottest forward.
Tottenham boss Pochettino said Kane's two-goal display in the side's 3-1 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund may finally see his talisman getting the credit he deserves.
Pochettino said: “He was fantastic. To score goals in the Champions League means he will get the credit he deserves. He is one of the best strikers in the world.
“The Champions League is one of the most important competitions in the world. It will give him the credit he deserves."
Kane's Wembley double puts him right up there in the top five for goals scored in 2017, joining the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But his 29 goals this year have come in fewer games than any of his rivals - and he actually has a better goals per game ratio than any other player on the planet.
Barcelona star Messi has scored more goals than anyone else this year, finding the net 39 times in 38 appearances for his club.
Edinson Cavani is not far behind with 34 strikes from 34 games for Paris Saint-Germain, with Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski third with 30 goals from 29 matches.
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World player of the year Ronaldo and Kane have both struck 29 times, but Kane's goals have come in just 27 games compared to the Real Madrid star's 30.
And when you compare all five hot-shots, it is England star Kane who has the best goals-per-game ratio of the calendar year - one of the key factors that rank how good strikers are.
The 24-year-old's current strike-rate is 1.07 goals per game, beating Poland star Lewandowski into second place on 1.03.
Kane also has the best numbers for accuracy, hitting the target from 47.5 per cent of his attempts on goal compared to Cavani's ratio of 45.7 per cent.
Messi only shoots accurately 39 per cent of the time, while Ronaldo is the worst of the big five with 37.3 per cent of his attempts being on target.
Despite his impressive form, former Manchester United star Phil Neville says Kane may have to leave Tottenham to truly be regarded as a world class player.
Neville believes Kane will not get the recognition if he stays at a club which fails to win major trophies.
He told Five Live: "He could have to leave Spurs to become that real top, top, world class Lewandowski type player, he could.
"Because if Spurs maintain just being a top four team, that will not be good enough for somebody like Harry Kane.
"I think he needs to be challenging for Ballon d'Ors. I think he needs to be challenging for Champions Leagues and if Spurs are always going to be that 'nearly' team, eventually he will want to leave and join a Real Madrid or Barcelona."
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