Harry Kane scored two goals in Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-1 rout of Liverpool on Sunday, but visiting Argentine legend Diego Maradona had a few tips for the young striker in the aftermath of the Premier League tie at Wembley Stadium in London.
When Maradona met Harry and Hugo 🙌 pic.twitter.com/78kZaNP76F
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 23, 2017
It was a pleasant surprise for the 24-year-old Kane, who opened his Premier League home account for the season and Spurs legend Osvaldo Ardiles acted as Maradona’s translator.
The 65-year-old Argentine, who is known as Ossie Ardiles in England, was an integral part of the Spurs’ side of the 70s and 80s. Spending 10 seasons at the club, the central midfielder firmly established himself as part of the club’s folklore as he played his part in their historic1984 UEFA Cup triumph.
However, his exploits fade against his famous compatriot’s.
Diego Maradona, famous for his exploits at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, is rated as the best player of all-time, alongside Brazilian legend Pele.
Unlike Pele, who spent almost the entirety of his career in his native Brazil, Maradona came to Europe to play club football and was successfully left his mark on the continent via stints with Barcelona and Napoli.
Maradona’s 5’5 frame gave him an exceptionally low centre of gravity, not like current Argentine icon Lionel Messi, and in his prime he was an unstoppable force of nature.
Fans in England, however, still haven’t forgiven him for his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 1986 World Cup. The Argentine used his hand to score past Peter Shilton but somehow the referee missed spotting that and the goal stood, despite the protests of the England team and staff.
In the same game, Maradona would go on to score what was voted as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup. His prodigious burst of acceleration, coupled with the aforementioned low centre of gravity saw him dribble past five outfield England players before rounding keeper Shilton to score what turned out to be the winner.
So, it’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about scoring and when he spoke, Kane was listening intently for a reason.
Kane, who came through the ranks at Spurs, has become one of the most feared marksmen in the English top-flight, as is evident by the fact that he has won the Premier League Golden Boot two years running.
This season, he has scored 12 times in 13 games as Spurs have made a decent start to their Premier League and UEFA Champions League campaign. The Lilywhites are unbeaten in Europe after beating the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Apoel Nicosia before holding defending champions Real Madrid to a creditable1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In the Premier League, Spurs are in third place, level on points with second-placed Manchester United. The Lilywhites can go second on Saturday as they travel to Old Trafford to face the Red Devils.
Spurs face West Ham United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night but after Kane suffered an injury scare in the closing stages of their win over Liverpool, manager Mauricio Pochettino is likely to rest him for the mid-week game.