Kane blames Messi and Ronaldo for number nine shortage

Harry Kane has blamed the influence of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the current number nines' absence from the game.

He credits the two football giants for encouraging new players to become wingers instead of taking on the traditional role of striker.

Kane himself has made a case for being among the best in the role of number nine. He scored his 50th Bundesliga goal in Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Augsburg last week, reaching the milestone in just 43 games.

It broke the previous record of 50 set by Erling Haaland during his time at Borussia Dortmund.

“The game is changing a little bit. The way coaching is now [means] A lot of players grow up wanting to be a winger,” Kane told TNT Sport Brazil.

“I think Messi and Cristiano dominated for a long time playing from the wings. I think a lot of players wanted to watch them.

“Growing up I had some of the best strikers in the world [to watch]so I wanted to be a number nine.

“That's just the way football goes. I think tactically some managers play with a false nine, or a nine-and-a-half or a ten position.

“But growing up at number nine, there were definitely some incredible players.”

Kane certainly took notice and became a complete striker. Of Kane's 50 Bundesliga goals, 10 have come from penalties, while 32 of them have been with his right foot, nine with his left foot and nine with his head.

He is also the fastest Bayern player to score 50 league goals for the club, surpassing Robert Lewandowski's previous record of 64 games by a whopping 21 games.

The England captain, who is preparing for a Champions League match with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, was mainly inspired by the Brazilian great Ronaldo.

“I think we are completely different players in the way we play, but in the end the way he finished was as good as anyone, as well as the way he moved with the ball,” Kane added.

“His dribbling ability. His movement. I think he was as good as anyone in the world. If I'm honest, he had a lot more ability than me. He also had good pace.”

“But growing up I tried to watch the best strikers in the world and he was in his prime at the time.

“It was a pleasure to watch him, and it was nice to score a few goals myself and get a few bits out of his game.”