Can Harry Kane match Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo longevity? Ex-England striker predicts how long record-breaking forward will continue with no obvious choice to replace him

The prolific Bayern Munich striker, who is already his country’s all-time leading scorer on 65 goals, will turn 31 in late July. His game has never been about pace – with the ability to sniff out chances carrying him to the very top – and that suggests he could have several seasons left in him for club and country.

Ex-Three Lions striker Heskey – speaking in association with 888sport – has told GOAL when asked how long Kane can continue: “I played until I was 32. You can see him going past that. You are looking at Ronaldo, changing the way that he plays, and he’s 39. That is similar to what Harry kind of does. [Alan] Shearer was another, even though you get older, even though there is a change of pace, a change of mobility, he will still score you goals. That’s the key thing. I can see him playing for the national team until 36, depending on the manager. And depending on who is behind you. Who’s coming through to take his role? I’ve had a discussion with Robbie Fowler and he never played as much as he should have. Robbie was scoring 30 goals a season but he had Les Ferdinand, Shearer, Michael Owen, Ian Wright, Stan Collymore, Chris Sutton, Andy Cole! He had all that around him. Who is going to grab that role and take Harry Kane out?”

Kane has already become as important to England as Messi and Ronaldo are to Argentina and Portugal respectively, with Heskey adding on that standing: “I wouldn’t say Messi and Ronaldo-esque, but he is our go-to. There are certain players that you can’t take off, and he is one of them. Regardless of how he is actually playing, he is one of those players that you can’t take off because you know that he can get you a goal. You have this juggling act of, yes, you want something different but you know that he’s going to get you a goal and that he’s one of the few that can sniff out a chance and finish it. Look at the two goals that he’s got [at Euro 2024] – great finishes. People might snatch at those, but he is very composed when getting into that situation. He is what he is. Ronaldo and Messi-esque? Probably not, because they control games through what they do. I don’t think he controls games.”

With the history books being rewritten, Kane now stands alongside the modern day greats. Asked where he sits on a list that includes the likes of Shearer, Gary Lineker, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, Heskey added: “When you are talking about goals, he sits right at the very top – he is the one that you go to. When you are talking about all-round play and being involved and controlling games, then you talk about Rooney. Rooney, 04, 18-year-old Rooney, runs all over the pitch. But if you are talking about goal scoring, it’s about Harry Kane. Give him half-a-chance and he scores goals – plenty of them. But being involved in the play, that goes to Wayne Rooney.”

Kane is currently on Euro 2024 alongside Jude Bellingham, with both men on target in England’s dramatic last-16 win over Slovakia. Bellingham scored a stoppage-time overhead kick in that contest, before bellowing “who else” in celebration, with the 21-year-old drawing obvious comparisons to five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo when it comes to ability and confidence. Heskey said of that talk: “When you are young you don’t second guess anything, you just do. Spain have got this young 16-year-old, [Lamine] Yamal. They just do. [Kobbie] Mainoo, they just do. Wayne Rooney when he came through, playing against the best players in the world, they just do. That is what Jude is doing at the minute. He just does it. He doesn’t overthink it. He knows his job, what he’s good at. Cometh the moment, cometh the man, and I’m going to be that man because everyone is relying on me. He is showing that time and time again now. He’s such a great player for the moment.”

Heskey went on to say of that elite mentality, which should continue to serve Bellingham and England well heading forward: “Especially when there is a lot of negativity around you. It is interesting how they have dealt with that, and dealt with it very well. There aren’t great performances, but they are still there. It’s difficult to criticise them when they have got this far. You can say they haven’t played well, so where will they get when they do? It’s difficult to criticise them. To get to that moment and score an overhead kick… what can you say? One, to try it and two, to execute it.”

England are yet to produce their best at Euro 2024, despite heading into the tournament as favourites, but they have found a way to reach the last eight. A quarter-final clash with Switzerland is next on the agenda, with that game set to take place in Dusseldorf on Saturday.