‘GOAT of our generation’ - Harry Kane still behind England’s ‘true heroes’ of 1966 but Micah Richards says Bayern Munich striker was ‘worthy winner’ of 2026 Ballon d’Or

The prolific former Tottenham striker, who has maintained remarkable individual standards at Bayern Munich, has come agonisingly close to getting his hands on major honours with England. As skipper he has graced two European Championship finals, while also reaching a couple of World Cup semi-finals.

The Three Lions are still waiting to bring football “home” again, with Sir Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel unable to get them across that line. Hope does, however, continue to spring eternal heading towards a Euros on British soil in 2028.

Kane should feature at that event, with there no sign of the evergreen 33-year-old slowing down. He may need to emerge triumphant in order to rise above the likes of Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton on any all-time great chart.

Richards admits as much, with the former England defender - who has linked up with Bollington United for a second coaching stint in Specsavers’ ‘Best Worst Team’ programme - telling GOAL: “It's always hard because it's different generations. It's different eras. You can say he’s the GOAT of our generation. But if you go back, and the boys who won the World Cup in ‘66, just imagine the feeling that generated and what that did for the country at the time.

“If Harry Kane could somehow bring a trophy - the Euros, in a couple of years - then yeah, potentially he could cement it. But the boys who won the World Cup, they're the heroes, aren't they? They're the true heroes.”

Kane has become a modern day legend, with his exploits at domestic and international level defying logic at times. He plundered 73 goals across his outings for Bayern and England during the 2025-26 campaign - landing a second Bundesliga title in the process.

Having posted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-esque numbers, he has joined those Golden Ball-winning heroes in adding a Ballon d’Or to his impressive resume - with competition from the likes of Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ Kylian Mbappe being fended off.

Richards said when asked if Kane is a worthy recipient of the ‘best player on the planet’ tag: “I think they all deserved it in different ways. People like Lamine, obviously winning the World Cup. Yes, he went into the competition with an injury and we didn’t see the best of him, but the way he played at times last season was just unbelievable.

“Someone like Kylian Mbappe, who I always loved, because he can make his own goals. When you talk about players who make you want to go watch football, or pay to watch, he's that for me. He's just so dynamic. He scored a lot of goals. He did really well at the World Cup. But obviously, France didn't win it.

“Then you've got Harry Kane, which was - at least in the Bundesliga last season - ridiculous. And he was amazing at the World Cup with all his goals and assists. But if you talk about numbers, if you talk about consistency, if you talk about someone who's developed their game and not just being, with all due respect, a goalscorer, he's an all-round player now. I was absolutely buzzing for him.

“It could have gone to any one of the three. I was happy that it went to Harry Kane because the journey that he's had, all the loans that he's had, and then everyone mocking him because he's not winning anything at Spurs, and then going to Bayern Munich everyone was saying ‘is it the right decision because you're only going to win the Bundesliga there?’. But, wow. His journey's just been immense. I'm proud of him. He's definitely a worthy winner for sure.”

Richards has played alongside some legendary forwards down the years - including Wayne Rooney at international level - and is hoping to pass on words of wisdom after joining forces with Bollingham United Sunday Blues.

The Cheshire-based outfit lost every game they played last season, with that roll of shame including an infamous 31-1 defeat. ‘Coach Meeks’ is putting his contact list to good use to draft in former internationals, specialists and big personalities to fix the team’s biggest problems - from set pieces to composure under pressure.

He has also offered a £5,000 reward to leading striker Sam ‘Goody’ Goodwin if the 40-goal mark can be hit this term. Those are the kind of figures that Kane is looking to chase down again.

Richards said when asked if incentives are, and always have been, the best way to bring peak form out of football players: “You know what? I'm bringing that target down. I'm going to bring it down because I think 40 is a lot. 25 is more realistic, would you say?

“He’s a good player but he was bragging about how he scored all the goals. So I said, 40. But I think we need to do a more realistic target. I'm going to say 25. We all like a little bonus at the end don’t we? Whatever work we're doing, a little bit of an incentive is good. So why not? He's a great lad, great personality, I really like him. I'll pay the £5,000 if he scores those goals.”

While keeping a close eye on how Goodwin fares in upcoming fixtures, Richards is among those looking forward to seeing how England - with some fresh faces being drafted into their ranks - get on against Croatia and Spain in their final UEFA Nations League fixtures.

The first of those games takes place on Thursday at Wembley Stadium, with captain Kane ready to rewrite the record books as he overtakes former goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the all-time appearances department.

Follow Bollington United’s journey in Specsavers’ Best Worst Team: Season 5, an eight-part full-throttle YouTube series following every set-piece mishap, defensive blunder and unexpected moment of magic, as they embark on a season like no other, with a little help from the experts. Search for Specsavers’ Best Worst Team on YouTube to follow the series and see how Bolly gets on.