- Harry Kane’s brace against Borussia Dortmund took him to 29 club goals in 2017
- The striker has emerged from his August drought with four goals in two games
- The Tottenham star has been involved in five of their six goals in September
- In terms of minutes per goal, Kane is the top striker in Europe this year
Harry Kane has well and truly emerged from his three-game drought in August and his hot streak has seen him entrenched as Europe’s deadliest striker this year.
The Tottenham forward has hit four goals in two club games since returning from international duty, taking his tally since January to 29. That by itself is an impressive tally but when taken you take into account Kane’s time spent on the pitch it gets even better.
Only three players in Europe’s top five league have scored more than Kane since January: Lionel Messi (39), Edinson Cavani (34) and Robert Lewandowski (30). With Cristiano Ronaldo level with Kane on 29.
Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1 at Wembley
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski is the next closest to Kane in terms of minutes per goal
Lionel Messi has scored the most goals of any player in Europe’s top five leagues since January
However all of those players have played significantly more minutes than Kane. Messi (3338 minutes), for instance, has been spent more than a 1000 more minutes than the England international (2223) on the pitch since the turn of the year.
Kane’s strike rate of a goal every 76.7 minutes is five minutes per goal better than his next closest rival, Lewandowski (81.7 minutes per goal).
In terms of minutes per goal the rest of the top five is made up by Cavani, who has scored every 84.8 minutes, Messi (85.6) and Ronaldo (88.4). In terms of goals alone that makes Kane the deadliest striker in Europe in 2017.
Edinson Cavani (34) has scored five more goal than Kane in 2017 but played five more games
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 29 club goals in 2017 at a rate of one every 88 minutes
| Player | Goals (min. 20) | Games Played | Minutes Played | Mins/Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messi, Lionel | 39 | 38 | 3338 | 85.6 |
| Cavani, Edinson | 34 | 34 | 2883 | 84.8 |
| Lewandowski, Robert | 30 | 29 | 2451 | 81.7 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 29 | 30 | 2564 | 88.4 |
| Kane, Harry | 29 | 27 | 2223 | 76.7 |
To emphasise Kane’s return to form, the 24-year-old has been involved with five out of Spurs’ six goals in the last two games, four goals and one assist. In September he has four goals from ten shots, by way of comparison, Kane attempted 24 shots without scoring in August.
Although 25 of Kane’s goals in 2017 have come in the Premier League, his performances in the Champions League have been no-less prolific.
Kane’s brace on Wednesday night makes him the first Englishman since Wayne Rooney in 2010 to score in three consecutive Champions League games, the first two coming before Spurs’ group stage elimination last season.
Kane’s has become the first Englishman in three straight Champions League games since 2010