ZINEDINE ZIDANE HAS branded Harry Kane the “complete forward” ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Tottenham tomorrow — but he was also quick to insist that the striker is not their only weapon.
Kane has been in lethal form so far this season, scoring 15 goals for club and country including five in the Champions League, and he will undoubtedly be eager to inspire the downfall of Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
The England international’s development into a world-class striker was seemingly evidenced by his nomination for the Ballon d’Or, with Kane impressing throughout 2017.
He has been so good that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola even referred to Spurs as “the Harry Kane team” recently, a trap Zidane opted to sidestep. But the Frenchman’s praise of the 24-year-old is unlikely to see reports of Madrid’s interest in him quieten down.
“I don’t know about the future, but at the moment he is very important for Spurs,” Zidane told reporters at his pre-match media conference.
“He’s very good at everything and what he does, he does playing towards goal. He’s always looking for spaces and that’s good.
“He is a complete forward. He perhaps doesn’t look like it sometimes, but he is.
“Kane is playing well, but Tottenham isn’t just Kane and I’m sure they’ll prepare their game well.”
Zidane’s compatriot Hugo Lloris will be the man charged with keeping Madrid at bay on Tuesday and the former midfielder believes he could play a key role.
“He [Lloris] will do everything he can to stop us winning,” Zidane said. “He has improved a lot as a keeper and I think he’ll have an important role in this game.
“But I will look more at us, and we want to cause difficulty to him. But it’s not about one forward or one keeper.
“It’s [Tottenham] a very complete side, continually improving year after year. We know the coach has done a lot for them, they have a lot of resources to them at the moment and I’m sure it’ll be a good game.”
Zidane was also asked about the comparison between the Premier League and La Liga, claiming that football is rather more physical in England, but better in Spain.
“Everyone has their own opinion,” he said. “I always dreamt about playing in the Spanish league. I love La Liga — you play with the ball a lot.
“It’s a different type of football. The Premier League is more physical and when a team is physically very strong it has more chance of winning in that league.
“I think Spanish football is best. We want to go out and prove La Liga is the best.”
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