Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has claimed that Harry Kane is "by the side" of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo following his record-breaking 2017.
Kane scored his eighth hat-trick of 2017 - and his second in the space of three days - during the Boxing Day victory over Southampton, breaking Alan Shearer's record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year in the process.
The treble also saw Kane surpass Messi as the year's top scorer for club and country from Europe's top leagues, and Lloris ranks the England international as the best striker he has played with.
"I've never played with a striker capable of scoring so many goals in a year. I've played with a lot of top strikers and probably he is the best I've played with. He deserves all the praise at the moment. Now the most difficult part is coming because he needs to stick at this level. But with his mentality and quality I have no doubt he will do that," he told reporters.
"He is one of the best and he is going to keep showing it. He believes a lot in himself and that's most important. It means he is able to do fantastic things with passion and hard work. In football when there are records you always try to break them. It's true, with players like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo it's difficult to catch them. But Harry is by the side of them and he is still a young player with lots to achieve.
"He's got the right attitude, he always wants to improve. If he scores one goal in a game, he wants two or three. This is his mentality. He's a goal machine. It's his target. When he enters the pitch, he focuses on that. His job is to score goals and it's his mentality every day.
"The perception from outside is different now. He has more attention from the fans and media. But he has a good head on his shoulders and a lot of humility and that's the key. He will keep working hard and I'm sure he will break more records if he does."
Kane is now only one goal away from becoming Tottenham's joint-leading goalscorer in the Premier League.
Barney Corkhill
