Jude Bellingham has described Harry Kane as “the best England player of all time” after the striker became the country’s record goalscorer at the World Cup.
Kane’s second-half header sealed a 2-0 win over Panama at the MetLife Stadium, which saw him take his tally to 11 goals at the global tournament, moving clear of Gary Lineker.
With three goals during the group stage, Kane will be eyeing a tilt at winning the Golden Boot for a record second time as he remains in a contest with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Jr.
Bellingham created his header against Panama and the midfielder says Kane is out on his own.
“I have built a good relationship with Harry over the last four or five years, especially after Qatar, playing so close together,” he said.
“It is an honour to play with him. For me he is the best England player of all time, he is the one who has showed up more than anyone, more than any other England player.
“It is quite easy to play with him in all honesty, he is at a level at the minute which is just incredible.
“You don’t doubt him at all, in terms of whether he is involved or not, he is going to make a difference in the game and he did.”
He added in a separate interview on ITV: “He continues to raise his level and it is incredible.
“It’s everything he deserves. You see the effort he puts in as captain and how he leads us. His quality speaks for itself, he is the best.”
Bellingham scored the opener against the Central American squad, shortly before creating Kane’s goal.
He was disappointed to be taken off in the final 10 minutes as boss Thomas Tuchel managed his side’s minutes going into the knockout phase.
“There’s only Reece (James), a couple of boys to be looked after today,” Bellingham said on the injuries in the camp.
“It is completely normal after the long seasons everyone has had.
“Dec (Rice) didn’t play today, he has just been into the Champions League final, he played every game, so it is normal we are going to be tired and we have to look after each other.
“For me, it is tough going off at the end, but it is the call the manager makes to protect our legs.”
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