Harry Kane Is Key to England's Return to International Football's Elite

Has there ever been a rising star in English football on the level of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane?

There have been players who have received similar accolades in the past. Wayne Rooney was tipped to be the game’s next great superstar when he was still a teenager. Theo Walcott had the hopes of an entire nation placed on his shoulders well before he had proved he was capable.

With all the star power players like Rooney and Walcott have, though, Kane is poised to top them all.

Kane—who has been with Spurs since 2004, coming up with their youth program—has been a revelation this season for a squad competing for a Champions League spot and has recently been called up the England national team for the first time, per the BBC.

After the disappointing performances from Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado last season, Kane stepped into the role of Tottenham’s lead striker at the end of last year and has taken the Premier League by storm.

In a league with some of the best strikers in the world, Kane currently sits on top of the scoring charts with 19 goals and has been the main reason Tottenham hasn’t fallen into mid-table obscurity this year.

While Kane’s long-term place in England’s domestic league is up for debate—Real Madrid has made it a habit to take Spurs’ best players in the past few years, with both Luka Modric and Gareth Bale leaving London for Spain—his spot on the national team isn’t.

England is one of the more starved countries in the world when it comes to international success. With no major titles in international competition since the 1966 World Cup, England is continuously searching for the star who can put the team on top yet again.

During last summer’s World Cup, the Three Lions injected a bit of youth into a squad that had started to show some signs of aging in the past few tournaments. Players like left back Luke Shaw and midfielder Ross Barkley have the hopes of the nation at one of the highest points since the days of Manchester United’s famed class of 1992 were starting to make an impact.

Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge in particular have been outstanding in the last couple seasons, but none of them hold a candle to Kane’s potential to succeed.

Fitting the role of a true No. 9, a striker who can do pretty much everything, Kane has a better understanding of positioning and making runs than many else in the modern game. He isn’t going to wow you with strikes from 30 yards, although that doesn’t mean he can’t do so, but he does one thing better than any English striker in years.

He scores goals.

England and Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has been a victim of Kane's ability in the past and said he has the talent to make a difference for the team.

"Really good, I've played against him three times, a fantastic talent," Cahill said, per the FA's official website. "For me he has all the attributes."

Rooney and Frank Lampard have been incredibly successful domestically in the Premier League in recent years, but despite all the trophies, neither have been beyond the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

In particular, Rooney is one of the more talented English players to play the game—he currently sits third in the all-time scoring list for the national team—but he has never been the traditional striker England needs. With a skill set that allows him to play in most attacking positions, Rooney is a great player, but Kane provides a target at the top of any formation that a team needs to succeed.

He hasn’t taken the field for the national team yet, but it feels like Kane can be the type of player that can spark an English run, whether it be at Euro 2016 or the World Cup in 2018.

There is a ton of talented youth in the English squad, and the rest of the world should be on high alert.