Hugo Lloris says Harry Kane is the best striker he has played with and insists he is “by the side” of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kane’s hat-trick against Southampton on Boxing Day saw him surpass Alan Shearer’s record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year.
The 24-year-old also set the record for the number of goals scored for club and country on 56 – two more in 2017 than Messi, and three more than Ronaldo, and Lloris, who has played with Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe for France, praised his Tottenham team-mate.
“I’ve never played with a striker capable of scoring so many goals in a year,” Lloris said. “I’ve played with a lot of top strikers and probably he is the best I’ve played with.
“He deserves all the praise at the moment. Now the most difficult part is coming because he needs to stick at this level. But with his mentality and quality I have no doubt he will do that. He is one of the best and he is going to keep showing it.
“He believes a lot in himself and that’s most important. It means he is able to do fantastic things with passion and hard work. In football when there are records you always try to break them.”
Lloris added: “It’s true, with players like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo it’s difficult to catch them. But Harry is by the side of them and he is still a young player with lots to achieve. He’s got the right attitude, he always wants to improve.
“If he scores one goal in a game, he wants two or three. This is his mentality. He’s a goal machine. It’s his target. When he enters the pitch, he focuses on that. His job is to score goals and it’s his mentality every day.
“The perception from outside is different now. He has more attention from the fans and media. But he has a good head on his shoulders and a lot of humility and that’s the key. He will keep working hard and I’m sure he will break more records if he does.”
(Sky Sports)
