Alan Shearer - Harry Kane needs to perform in the Champions League to earn Messi & Ronaldo comparisons

Legendary England striker Alan Shearer has opined that Tottenham Hotspur's red-hot forward Harry Kane needs to perform regularly in International tournaments and the Champions League in order to be compared to elite stars of the game like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Harry Kane has been in sensational form this season, scoring 13 goals in 12 appearances all season so far, and has earned rave reviews. Shearer, who is the all-time record goalscorer in the Premier League with 260 goals, feels that Kane could be his successor. 

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"He’s good, but he’s not that good (laughs), I’m only joking," he told Goal on the sidelines of the Premier League LIVE event in India. "He’s really, really good and has a chance of breaking my record (Premier League all-time record goalscorer) if, and it’s a big if, he remains injury-free.

"Nowadays, with the pace of the game and the number of games, it’s difficult to remain injury-free. If you have no more than one serious injury these days throughout your career, you’re fortunate." 

However, Shearer felt that Tottenham's success over the next few years would also determine whether Kane can breach his Premier League mark, with clubs like Real Madrid rumoured to be plotting a move for the forward. 

"So yeah, Kane can break the record if he stays in the Premier League. That depends on how successful Spurs are over the next two, three years." 

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Kane has also translated his domestic form to Europe this season but Shearer wants to see the 24-year-old perform consistently in the Champions League to propel himself into the bracket of the elite stars. 

"He needs to do it at an international level, in a tournament (to be counted among the elite). And of course, he needs to do it regularly in the Champions League. When we talk of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, these guys have been doing that for years now. 

"Harry has been doing it in the Premier League for a couple of years, now he has to take it further and do it on the big stage."

Shearer, who took charge of Newcastle United on an interim basis in 2009, is working as a TV pundit currently and does not plan on going back to a managerial job anytime soon. 

"No, I’d be surprised if that were to happen, I’m very happy with what I’ve been doing, with the punditry. I’m loving what I’m doing, I’m a fortunate guy to be doing what I’m doing."