A humble role model and a lethal finisher... Kane is the world’s top centre-forward

HARRY KANE is the best centre-forward in the world right now – and here are the facts to prove it.

Nobody, in Europe’s major leagues, can match Kane’s strikerate this season.

And he has become the role model for every kid who dreams of wearing the No.9 shirt at a top club – humble and down-toearth off the pitch, absolutely lethal in the box when he plays for Tottenham or England.

If you look at the accompanying chart (below), the stats say it all. There are other goalscorers out there enjoying a phenomenal season – Mo Salah at Liverpool springs to mind – but I’m talking about centre-forwards in the Alan Shearer mould.

Of course, I’m not saying Kane is better than Lionel Messi, Neymar or Cristiano Ronaldo. They are allround magicians, not just strikers who are the focal point of an attack.

Kane has now crossed the threshold between a terrific player and world class. His consistency is fantastic – in his last four seasons, he has scored 31, 28, 35 and now 31 goals for Tottenham alone.

If he was scoring so heavily for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Manchester United, everyone would acclaim him as world class and the best in the business. So why begrudge him that accolade at Spurs?

People say he needs to win trophies to attain greatness, and Tottenham need some silverware after winning just one pot this century.

But for all his 260 Premier League goals, Shearer won only one title, with Blackburn Rovers in 1995 – and that didn’t stop him being a great player. Kane is the ultimate package as a No.9, even though none of his attributes are exceptional. He is quick, but not lightning fast.

He is good in the air, but perhaps not the greatest header of a ball. His hold-up play is not quite up to the level of Mark Hughes in his heyday, although that part of Kane’s repertoire against Manchester United last month, and the way he brought others into the game, was exceptional.

His finishing, off either foot, is fantastic – although the stats say he does not have the highest strike-rate in terms of shots-pergoal ratio. And he is not yet the best player in the world. He’s not an untouchable like Messi.

But just as you turn on the TV to find Barcelona are winning, and you just know Messi has scored, it’s become the same way with Tottenham. If there’s a goal flash and Spurs have gone ahead, you don’t need to ask who scored. It’s usually Kane.

Last season, ahead of the north London derby, I said Mesut Ozil would be the only world-class player on the pitch. But this time, if you are a neutral and you could pick just one player from either side to put in your fantasy team, it would be Kane.

It could be a fantastic shootout at Wembley between the two front fours: Kane (right), Heung-min Son, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen for Spurs, and PierreEmerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ozil and Alex Iwobi for Arsenal.

If Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan – who shared 62 goals and 31 assists in their last full season at Dortmund – hit it off again, they will be worth watching.

But I fancy Spurs to shade it – and the result of this derby could determine which of the north London rivals finishes in the top four.

Kane has six goals in his last six games against Arsenal, and I can’t see the Gunners keeping him out this time.

He’s that good.