Jurgen Klopp: Harry Kane is the English Lionel Messi

Updated: 2 Jul 2026 08:25 CDT | 4 min read

FT Desk

Make us your Google favourite

Legendary manager Jurgen Klopp has lavished praise on Harry Kane following the striker's exploits in England's comeback World Cup win against DR Congo this week.

Article continues under the video

In the Round of 32 fixture between the two nations, the African outfit shocked the favourites by taking the lead early on thanks to a near-post strike from Brian Kibambe Cipenga.

England toiled until half-time and, as the game progressed in the second period, they began to face the prospect of an early elimination from the World Cup and the criticism that would have undoubtedly followed.

Step up, Harry Kane.

The Bayern Munich forward emerged as his country's hero again, scoring the equaliser with a smart header across goal into the bottom corner before netting the winner with an unstoppable strike flashed into the top corner from the edge of the area with four minutes left of normal time.

Even though England came very close to a disastrous World Cup exit, the players celebrated the victory with the fans inside the stadium after, joining in with another rendition of Oasis' 'Wonderwall'.

Klopp, assessing the result, initially praised the narrative of the game itself.

“Wonderful football, a wonderful example of a perfect World Cup game," the former Liverpool boss said on Magenta TV.

"You have a favourite, you have a clear underdog who surprises everyone with a bold performance. Courageous, defiant, they took shots, they defended expertly. Of course, England had chances where the goalkeeper was able to shine, but maybe not as many as expected. In the end, the overwhelming favourite wins because of a player who can’t even really be described anymore."

He then turned his praise towards Kane, while also giving Thomas Tuchel a shout-out for his game-changing substitution, bringing on Anthony Gordon, who assisted both of the goals.

"I don’t know if they’ve already built statues, but they will build them in England, 100%, because the influence that Harry Kane has is something I’ve not seen before," the German continued.

"If Harry Kane has an off-day or needs time to get into the game, and that was the case for the first 30 minutes, England struggle. The second he started feeling a little more comfortable, England created moments of danger. Once he started performing as usual, particularly in the second half, he became basically impossible to defend against. Of course, he doesn’t do everything on his own, but he’s the deciding factor.

“Anthony Gordon, the substitute from Thomas, was incredible; he assisted both goals. The second one, Harry still had a lot to do, obviously, but nonetheless great work from Gordon. He was active, took on players, almost lost the ball but still had the wherewithal to backheel it to Harry. And then: an unbelievable goal, like only Kane can score it."

Perhaps the biggest praise Kane received from Klopp was a comparison to Lionel Messi, widely considered to be the best footballer in the world and arguably of all time.

“I admire this player so much," Klopp confessed.

"Everything he does on the football pitch, how he sees the game, how he handles it. I met him a few times, of course, but one time I had the pleasure of having a longer conversation - he’s a gigantic personality, in addition to his skills on the pitch.

“Harry Kane is the English Messi in a way. His teammates want him to be involved in every passage of play. We have seen goals from Messi where a player simply opens his legs and dummies the ball because he knows Messi is coming. Kane is similar. You’re 20 metres out from goal and think, ‘Who’s the best striker of the ball?’ You run through all the names - Kane is the best. So give him the ball and let him shoot. That’s the sign of a team. A team has to understand which qualities every player has, and you need to exploit them.

“It’s like taking a free kick. You’ve got a great free kick taker but the oldest player, or the most beautiful or most intelligent, says, ‘I’ll take it.’ But you’ve got the best free kick taker right there! Everyone has to do his job in each specific scenario. With Kane, the rule is, if you’re 25 metres in front of goal, try to get the ball to him, be it with a cross or with a pass. Anthony Gordon did this superbly. He really changed the game, not just offensively, but he was also better out of possession than [Marcus] Rashford before him. Maybe next time Gordon will start and play until he runs out of gas, and then they can bring on Rashford. They certainly have quality in that department."

DR Congo certainly surprised many fans and pundits with the quality of their play as they by no means sat in a low block for 80+ minutes after taking the lead and were a threat on the counter throughout.

Klopp says the players did their country proud.

“Today was maybe the most difficult game of the World Cup for England," he said.

"We’ll see. The public perception of Congo is that they’re miles off, not just geographically but also in terms of their level. But they did really, really well. To all the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, if you’re watching us, I hope you’re really proud. It’s unbelievable how your team played today. I would be incredibly proud. I didn’t expect it at all, but it was exactly the type of football you should play if you’re the underdogs and want to beat the favourites. And they came so close.”

England's narrow victory has set up one of the most anticipated matches of the World Cup so far - a date with co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium on Sunday.