Following Kevin Phillips, Harry Kane became just the second Englishman to win the European Golden Shoe.
The only Englishman to have won the European Golden Shoe is no longer Kevin Phillips.
The highest goal scorer in league games from the top tier of a European national league is given the European Golden Shoe, also called the European Golden Boot, each season.
Since then, players like Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Francesco Totti, Thierry Henry, Henrik Larsson, and Erling Haaland have all taken home the trophy. But another Englishman hasn’t won the Golden Shoe in 24 years.
Harry Kane, the captain of England, won the prize this year after scoring 36 goals in the Bundesliga in his debut year with Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, despite the goals from the former Tottenham, Millwall, and Norwich City player, the German powerhouses were unable to win any significant trophies this season. Along with Phillips, Kane becomes the second Englishman overall to win the prize.
According to Phillips, if he had been playing with Kane in the present day, he would have been worth an incredible £100 million transfer fee.
In his heyday at the Stadium of Light, the former Sunderland star scored an incredible 130 goals in 235 games from 1997 to 2003. Despite earning eight England caps, Phillips was unable to establish himself as a consistent player for his nation during a period of fierce competition.
“I could be worth £100 million and get 50 caps for England if I were playing now,” he said following his recent dismissal as Hartlepool United’s manager.
“I consider myself fortunate to have eight caps for England. I attended Euro 2000 and spent two years in every squad. I played for Sunderland and faced off against seven or eight elite strikers during that period. Among the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer, and Michael Owen, I had the honour of receiving eight caps. There is currently no competition for strikers in England.
“The only thing that resents me is that I was left out of the Euro 2000 minutes. I remember warming up in front of Kevin Keegan, as if to say, “Get me on the pitch,” before we were eliminated in the group stages. I had recently finished a 30-goal Premier League season, yet I received no playing time.
Michael Beale was fired by Sunderland earlier this year, leaving the team without a head coach at the moment. However, it’s anticipated that the Black Cats will name a new boss this summer.
“Over the weekend, I played golf in the North East with a passionate Sunderland supporter, and he brought up Liam Rosenior, who I believe was fired harshly,” Phillips continued.
“They (Hull) were a point outside the relegation zone when he took over, but they finished three points outside the play-offs.”He is an excellent coach. He performed admirably at Derby, got along well with Rooney there, and has now moved up to management. He’s not old. And I was thinking, “I quite like that one,” until this man brought him up.
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