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England captain Harry Kane has labelled Erling Haaland “a machine” but said he and Norway’s “beast” of a number nine are completely different players as they prepare to face off in the World Cup quarterfinal.
“I think we’re completely different players. I know we’re both strikers, but we’re in almost two different positions,” Kane told his pre-match news conference on Friday.
Haaland has struck seven times in his first four matches ever at a major tournament, including a devastating double to eliminate Brazil, and his goals have carried Norway into the last eight for the first time.
Kane is only one goal behind the Manchester City striker for the tournament and has taken his overall World Cup record to 14 goals.
“Erling is incredible. His goalscoring record, physically, he’s a machine, he’s a beast. His finishing is at the highest level, and his goalscoring record speaks for itself.
“I see myself as a different player, although I score the same goals. I like to maybe touch the ball a little bit more, be involved with the play a little bit more, but also can play as maybe the out-and-out number nine.
“I don’t think it’s one to compare ourselves. I respect him a lot as a player and as a professional. Obviously, I’m hoping he has a quiet day tomorrow, but I think his overall performance is very good. He’s a fantastic player.”
Kane and Haaland will face off in Miami on Saturday [AFP]‘Amazing World Cup for strikers’
Despite their phenomenal goalscoring record, Haaland and Kane trail Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who have both netted eight times in the 2026 tournament, in the battle for the Golden Boot.
Kane won the prize for the World Cup’s top goalscorer in 2018, but England fell short of glory as they exited in the semifinals to Croatia.
Ending a 60-year wait for England to win a major tournament remains Kane’s primary aim, but he is hoping to score the goals to carry the Three Lions to glory.
“I think it’s been an amazing World Cup on that front in terms of all the top strikers, all the top goalscorers scoring goals and affecting games. It’s not always the case at these major tournaments,” added the Bayern Munich striker.
“It’s a great competition. It puts me in a mindset to be at my very best level as much as possible.
“My main goal is to win the World Cup more than another Golden Boot, but I also know I’m a goalscorer, I’m the number nine, so if I’m scoring goals, it’s obviously going to help the team.”
Kane issued a rallying cry for a huge final effort to get over the line in what could be three games in eight days to make history.
“Ultimately, until we win that trophy, there’s always going to be that talk around England and the team, but we’re in a good position. We’re in a place that we wanted to be six weeks ago when we met up for prep camp,” he added.
“Now we’re in the final eight days of the final push. We’re going to need everyone to be at the highest level to achieve our dreams.”
Vikings ready for one more historic game
Meanwhile, Norway coach Stale Solbakken said the showdown between Haaland and Kane will go a long way in deciding the match.
“I think it’s Norway versus England, but I don’t think it is a secret that Kane is the match winner number one for England and Haaland is the match winner number one for us,” Solbakken said at his pre-match news conference in Miami.
Norway are in their first major tournament of any kind for 26 years and have exceeded expectations, most notably in their stunning 2-1 win against Brazil thanks to Haaland’s late double in the last 16.
“Every game has been the most important [in history] for Norwegian football, especially in the knockout rounds, so this is the third time it is the most important game,” added Solbakken.
“I think England has more pressure than us, but we also put pressure on our performance. When the game has started, I don’t think the players think so much about the pressure when it’s 11 versus 11.”
Norway’s progress has caught the imagination at home and across the Atlantic in the United States.
Their fans’ Viking row celebration has become one of the iconic images of the tournament, while Haaland’s status as a global star has soared thanks to his goalscoring prowess on the pitch and jovial personality off it.
“I think the whole of Norway is looking forward to tomorrow. We’ve had some great nights in this World Cup before, and it brings the country together,” said Solbakken.
“Maybe this will never come back to Norway because I think we will qualify more. Every time [now] we have a possibility to go through to a European Championship or a World Cup. But now it’s 26 years since we had it last time.”
