Harry Kane blames Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi for lack of No.9s in football

Kane feels Messi and Ronaldo have inspired players to become wingers.

Harry Kane, a striker for Bayern Munich, thinks that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s supremacy is to blame for the current dearth of exceptional No. 9s.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have led world football for well over ten years. Between them, they have won thirteen Ballon d’Or honours, with the Argentine sensation taking home eight of them. The pair’s impact has been felt all around the world since they have lifted the bar for upcoming younger players and set numerous new records.

Kane also believes that players would prefer to now be wingers than out-and-out strikers. According to the England captain, there is a lack of elite No. 9s in the current game as a result of a “tactical shift” brought about by Ronaldo and Messi.

Undoubtedly, some of the most effective attackers in the game, including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., Mohamed Salah, and Lamine Yamal, like to play off the sides.

Harry Kane is officially the fastest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals 🤯 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/BWrhBVeZJs

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) November 22, 2024

Harry Kane told TNT Sports Brazil: “The game is changing a little bit. The way coaching is now [means] a lot of players grow up wanting to be wingers. I think [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano [Ronaldo] dominated for a long, long time playing off the wings. I think a lot of players wanted to watch them. When I was growing up, I had some of the best strikers in the world [to watch], so I wanted to be a No. 9.”

”That’s just the way football goes. I think, tactically, some managers play with a false nine, or a nine-and-a-half/10 position. It’s a shame because, ultimately, I think scoring goals is the hardest thing in football, so I would like to see more No. 9s coming through, but over the years you’ll see it come and go. But for sure, when I was growing up at No. 9 there were some incredible players.”

Kane is presently getting ready for some important home and away games with Bayern. After playing PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday, the Bavarian powerhouses will play Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

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