Harry Kane broke Alan Shearer's Premier League
record for goals in a calendar year as he put
Tottenham in front in their 5-2 win against
Southampton on Tuesday.
Kane went on to score a hat trick, with the
second of those three goals seeing him move
ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi for the
most goals for club and country by any player in
Europe's major leagues in 2017.
Kane has 39 league goals and 56 goals for Spurs
and England in 2017. Messi hit 54 for Barca and
Argentina.
Shearer, who set the previous EPL record with 36
goals in 1995 with Blackburn, sent Kane a
message of congratulations from his Twitter
account, saying: "You've had a magnificent 2017
@HKane. You deserve to hold the record of most
@premierleague goals in a calendar year. Well
done and keep up the good work."
Kane told Sky Sports it was a "great feeling" to
break Shearer's record.
"It was hard not to think about it going into the
game being level," he said. "As always I wanted
to win the game first and foremost, but of course
I wanted to score as a striker. To get that goal
early on and get that record was a great feeling
and I could enjoy the rest of the game.
"This year I would say physically I have improved,
recovery from games, getting ready, we have such
a busy schedule. Just making sure I'm ready for
each game, eating right, recovering right with ice
baths. I feel really good. I feel sharp and at my
best.
"Just getting more experience should make me a
better player anyway."
On the part played by his Spurs teammates, Kane
added: "When we are in that form and we've got
everyone running forward and quick passes, one-
twos, we are a hard team to stop.
"I said to the lads before the game to try and set
me up and they all did that, so I'll have to take
them out to dinner or something."
When asked for his favourite goals of the year,
Kane said: "I liked the second one against
Huddersfield from outside the box with the left
foot. That was nice.
"That third goal today was good; the third goal
against Burnley I think summed up how I play
with the tackle and then the touch and finish, so
there's been some good goals but hopefully some
better ones in 2018."
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has long
championed Kane as one of the best players in
the world and was delighted to see him break
Shearer's record.
"I think I've said everything [about Kane]," he
said. "The last nine or 10 years it's been
Cristiano Ronaldo [the best in the world], and
today it's Harry Kane. I'm so happy to
congratulate him and all of the team, well done.
"It doesn't surprise us because every day we see
how he works, his determination, how
professional he is, and that can only be good for
him. He's a very talented player. He's a great
professional and a good example for everybody,
not just his goals."
Reflecting on the calendar year, Pochettino added:
"We are so ambitious, but I am so happy. We
have finished this year in a very good way, and I
hope next year we can win more."
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