Kane sets his sights on matching magical Messi

Harry Kane is desperate to outshine Lionel Messi at Wembley – and then start chasing the Barcelona superstar’s records.

Messi has already hit eight goals this term to add to the 500-plus he has scored during an illustrious career with the Spanish giants.

Tottenham striker Kane has some way to go to match Messi’s phenomenal numbers, but the 25-year-old England captain is certainly not lacking in ambition.

“He set the standard, he and Cristiano Ronaldo gone above the normal standard, when they are scoring 50 or 60 goals a season,” said Kane.

“As a striker I want to try and match that. He’s definitely set the standard for the rest of us and he still is.

“It motivates me to get even better and improve and hopefully one day score as many, if not more, than he has.

“It’s a great test for us. As players you want to play against best in world and Messi is certainly that, a fantastic player, and we will do our best to stop him.”

Spurs host the Laliga title holders looking to kickstart their Champions League campaign following defeat at Inter Milan in the opening group match.

They should fancy their chances, too. Barca have wobbled domestically lately with two draws and a defeat, to bottom side Leganes, in their last three matches.

Kane and co can also draw on the memories of last season’s stunning 3-1 Wembley win over Real Madrid.

“We’ve got to prove we can beat the best teams in the world and we need to do that against Barcelona,” he added.

“We went through a stage where we didn’t win in three matches and maybe a bit of pressure starts to build.

“I’m sure Barcelona want to bounce back but it’s our chance to stop them.”

Spurs will have to do it without Christian Eriksen, Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen, who have joined Dele Alli on a growing casualty list.