Harry Kane
England’s 2018 World Cup campaign may have ended in semi-final heartbreak, but captain Harry Kane is still celebrating a significant achievement after clinching the Golden Boot award.
The Tottenham talisman netted six times in as many appearances during an impressive run to the last four for Gareth Southgate’s young side.
He becomes only the second England player to claim the honour of the tournament’s top scorer and the first since 1986, when Gary Lineker also scored six as the Three Lions exited at the quarter-final stage in Mexico.
Kane joins an elite band of Golden Boot winners that also includes stars such as Ronaldo, Miroslav Klose, Mario Kempes, Eusebio, Gerd Muller, Just Fontaine, Thomas Muller and Davor Suker.
The 2014 award was won by James Rodriguez, the unquestioned star of Colombia’s vibrant campaign in Brazil.
Kane was picked ahead of the likes of Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier to captain England in Russia and he started the campaign in emphatic fashion, scoring both goals – including a stoppage-time winner – in a 2-1 triumph over Tunisia in Volgograd.
The 24-year-old then helped himself to a hat-trick during the 6-1 demolition of debutants Panama before being rested against Belgium in Kaliningrad, where a narrow 1-0 loss consigned them to second place in Group G.
Recent Golden Boot Winners
2014 – James Rodriguez (Colombia, 6 goals)
2010 – Thomas Muller (Germany, 5)
2006 – Miroslav Klose (Germany, 5)
2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil, 8)
1998 – Davor Suker (Croatia, 6)
1995 – Oleg Salenko (Russia), Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria, both 6)
1990 – Salvatore Schillaci (Italy, 6)
1986 – Gary Lineker (England, 6)