If England are to be successful in this summer’s European Championships in Germany, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will have to perform.
Arguably the Three Lions’ best two players, fans will spend the last few weeks of the season hoping neither get injured as they chase success at club level with two of Europe’s giants.
Neither player will be giving Germany a second thought, however. Yet. While their respective league titles are decided – Kane’s Bayern Munich have lost the title to Bayer Leverkusen while Bellingham’s Real Madrid are 11 points clear at the top of La Liga – there is the small matter of the Champions League to decide.
The two clubs and players will do battle on Tuesday evening in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals in Munich, as they look to take a giant stride to Wembley at the start of June for the final.
Ahead of their hotly-anticipated clash, Mail Sport takes a look at how Kane and Bellingham compare both on and off-the-field.
Harry Kane (left) and Jude Bellingham (right) are set to do battle in the Champions League
Kane (left) will star for Bayern Munich, with his side taking on Bellingham’s (right) Real Madrid
A look at how the two England players compare ahead of their clash on Tuesday evening
This season
It’s been a new start for both players this season, with both men moving to their respective clubs in £100million-plus deals.
Kane departed Tottenham for £100m on the dot in the summer in a bid to finally win his first career trophy, and will need to deliver over the two legs against Madrid if he wants to do that this year.
He has taken to life in Germany like a duck to water – bodes well for the summer – netting 42 goals in as many games so far this campaign on the back of another brace, this time against Stuttgart, at the weekend.
The England captain has broken all kinds of records, from becoming the fastest player to reach 20 goals in the league to being the first to score or assist against every team in his debut season.
He is now chasing Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 league goals in a season with three games remaining, but needs seven goals to pass it. ‘It’s possible, but obviously I have to get a move on,’ Kane said.
Kane has also picked up 13 assists for his side, and will have his eyes on finally winning his first career trophy.
Bellingham, meanwhile, has arguably been the signing of the season in world football after his six-year, £113m move to Madrid from Borussia Dortmund.
Instantly becoming a fan favourite and hailed the best player in the world by his manager Carlo Ancelotti earlier this year, the midfielder has constantly popped up with vital goals for his side, none more so than his late winner against Barcelona just over a week ago.
In his 36 games so far this term, he has netted 21 times, chasing the La Liga Golden Boot, behind only Girona’s Artem Dovbyk in the race.
Arguably Madrid’s talisman, he is already a world mega star at just 20 years old, and will have tunnel vision on winning the Champions League.
Kane has enjoyed life at Bayern Munich since his £100million move from Tottenham last year
Bellingham, meanwhile, has become one of the best players in world football since joining Madrid for £113m
Club careers
Kane joined Tottenham as a youngster in 2004, making his way through the age groups before becoming pro.
He was sent on loan to the likes of Millwall and Leicester before eventually getting his chance in north London, and began to set the world alight and establish himself as one of the best forwards in the world.
The forward won the Golden Boot three times in his Premier League career, but failed to win a trophy with Tottenham. He came close on a couple of occasions – losing the 2019 Champions League final and coming up short to Leicester in the 2016 Premier League title race.
Stay or go? He made the decision to jump ship in the bid to win a trophy and is now enjoying life with Bayern Munich – though remains without silverware.
He is, however, Tottenham’s all-time top scorer with 280 goals, and is second to Alan Shearer in the most Premier League goals ever. He may yet return to beat that record, needing 48 more.
Bellingham made his way through the academy at Birmingham City, bursting onto the scene as a 16-year-old and quickly establishing himself as one of the best players in the Championship.
In 2020, he made a £25m move to Borussia Dortmund, becoming the most-expensive 17-year-old in history, with a number of clubs including Manchester United and Liverpool interested.
Though his side came up short of winning the Bundesliga last season, Bellingham was named Player of the Season for the division and won the German Cup in 2021.
Following his move to Madrid, he has lifted the Spanish Super Cup and it is a matter of time before he adds the La Liga title to his collection. Both players will have their eyes on two more trophies before the season is over…
Kane played for Tottenham for the majority of his career but left having failed to win a trophy
Bellingham, meanwhile, starred in the Championship as a 16-year-old with Birmingham City
Playing for England
One of them will be with England. Both players are staple pieces of Gareth Southgate’s team, guaranteed starters and central to everything the team does. No pressure.
Kane made his debut in March 2015 at 21, scoring on his debut against Lithuania, and hasn’t really stopped since, netting 62 goals in 89 appearances and flying past the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney in the process.
He won the World Cup Golden Boot in 2018 having become captain of the side, but would swap that to lift a trophy with his country.
Bellingham made his debut in November 2020 at 17, becoming England’s third-youngest international ever.
He has made a total of 29 appearances since, scoring three times, and is heading to his second major tournament with his country following the World Cup in 2022 (he was the first to console Kane when he missed a penalty against France in the quarter-finals).
Both players are England regulars and will be key to the Three Lions’ success this summer
Kane, England’s captain, is also his country’s all-time leading scorer at just 30 years old
Bellingham has scored three times for England so far and is heading to his second major tournament
Value and net worth
According to Sofascore, both Kane and Bellingham have increased their values since moving to their new sides in the summer.
At 30, it’s unclear how long Kane has left in his career, but with a game that relies mostly on his technique and football brain rather than football attributes like pace and strength, he undoubtedly has a few years left yet.
It’s generally expected that he will move on from Bayern Munich after a few trophies, though the player himself has given zero indication that’s his plan. If and when he does, however, he will command a pretty penny.
Sofascore value Kane at £101.6m, with the forward having a contract running for a further three years.
Bellingham meanwhile, would cost a mega-sum if he were to leave Madrid any time soon. At 20, it could be argued he has at least a decade and a half left at the top level.
Couple that with him being one of the best players in the world already, and few teams would be able to cough up a fee of £145.2m that is his current value.
To go alongside that, Bellingham’s net worth is £39m – just short of Kane’s £51m at 10 years younger. He does, however, boast more Instagram followers, clocking up 30.4m compared to Kane’s 16.9m.
Having both made moves worth £100m plus, their values are now in excess of the figure, with Bellingham’s sky rocketing
Love interests
Both players are earning hefty off-field sums as well as their general pay from their clubs, with Kane earning sponsors including Sketchers and Amazon.
In August, he became the centre of Skechers’ first European football boot launch, with the SKX_01 launching in the UK and Europe in September. The deal is long-term, with the forward making the jump from Nike. He is thought to be earning £2m-a-year from the deal.
Bellingham, meanwhile, aligns with Adidas. The brand have reportedly been working on a signature logo in the midfielder’s name, and he is now pretty much the face of the company, earning around £2.6m annually.
He keeps his cards close to his chest when it comes to other sponsors, with it suggested late last year that he would eventually sign a deal with Louis Vuitton.
Kane has four children with his wife, Katie Goodland, who he married in 2019 having met at school. Goodland is a personal fitness coach and has a net worth of £1m in her own right, leaving the family more than financially secure.
Bellingham’s love life has been of interest lately, with reports suggesting he has started a relationship with Dutch influencer Laura Celia Valk, who is said to be ‘smitten’ with her new boyfriend.
The couple enjoyed a series of luxurious dates while she was visiting him in Madrid recently, with the TikTok star and model regularly visiting his Spanish pad. The couple also enjoyed a romantic stay at The Madrid EDITION hotel, where a superior room costs just over €1000 (£860) a night.
Kane married childhood sweetheart Katie Goodland (left) in 2019, and the couple have four children together
Bellingham and his new flame Laura Celia Valk have enjoyed a series of luxurious dates at The Madrid EDITION hotel after their romantic stay there earlier this month
The footballer, 20, is reportedly dating the model and influencer, 25, who appears to be ‘completely smitten’ with the sports star
Verdict
For most England fans, it will be a matter of enjoying two of their own and world’s best when they do battle on Tuesday night.
Though they are good friends, football comes first and both, the ultimate professionals, will be keen to do all they can to help their sides to the final of the Champions League, where they will face either PSG or Dortmund.
Kane is out in front in terms of most of the numbers, but has an extra decade behind him when it comes to competing at the top level. Bellingham is perhaps the bigger star, with his numbers hampered by playing a deeper role than Kane on-the-field.
In terms of Tuesday, it is hard to separate them. They will be enemies in Munich, but could well have their hands on a trophy in the same country later this year with three lions on their shirts.
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