Kyle Walker Picks Between Harry Kane & Erling Haaland- “He Doesn’t Have the Pace of Erling”

Soccer has been blessed with some of the best No. 9s in the world. As soccer fans have long debated the merits of various strikers, the spotlight often falls on generational talents like Erling Haaland and seasoned veterans like Harry Kane. While it’s quite hard to choose between the two talented goal scorers, Kyle Walker claims ‘they’re both unbelievable.’

The Manchester City star recently sat down for a lengthy chat with Rio Ferdinand, Joel Beya, and Stephen Howson in the ‘Vibe with Five,’  segment of ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents Five.’ While Beya asked Walker how Haaland is different than Kane, Ferdinand simply asked, ‘Who’s better?’ Interestingly, the right-back was left puzzled as he didn’t have an exact answer. With a long thought, he replied, “I’m going to say they’re both unbelievable. I take different things from both of them. Harry’s brain, you know how he is.” Even after keeping the two strikers on the same pedestal, Walker made remarkable contrasts. 

“Maybe because he [Kane] doesn’t probably have the pace of Erling, where things have to be very precise. But Erling’s rawness, it’s just so off the cuff,” added the England defender. Additionally, Walker then narrated an intriguing story about Haaland. “I said [to myself], ‘I’m going to count how many times he touches the ball,’ and he touched the one ball once in next to the technical area, then far corner as a throw-in. Next time it’s a goal,” concluded the 33-year-old. Notably, Walker shares a dressing room with both Haaland and Kane at City and England NT, respectively. While the former Tottenham man denied choosing anyone, Rio Ferdinand once gave his succinct reply to the debate.

Rio Ferdinand vocally gave a cold shoulder to Erling Haaland over Harry Kane

Last year, in a similar podcast, Rio Ferdinand declared Harry Kane as the best player compared to Erling Haaland. The legendary Manchester United center-back, when asked to choose between the two, emphasized Kane’s all-round abilities, stating, “As a player, all-round player, Kane, I know I said that last season.” While Ferdinand’s assertion adds an intriguing perspective to the debate, let’s also consider the statistics.

Kane is in remarkable form this season for Bayern Munich. In over 35 appearances, he has bagged 37 goals and 12 assists. In fact, the England skipper leads the Bundesliga goal-scoring charts with 31 goals. Meanwhile, Haaland has notched 29 goals and 6 assists in 34 appearances across all competitions. Remarkably, both are even tied in the Champions League standings. 

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While Kane comes out at the top with better numbers, Haaland has won trophies that the former Tottenham man is still searching for. Nevertheless, Walker knows how both strikers are clinical in their own way.