Harry Kane backed to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by playing close to his 40s as 'technical' Bayern Munich star's longevity is explained

Kane is the all-time leading scorer for Spurs and England. He found the target on 280 occasions for the north London heavyweights and has taken his historic tally for the Three Lions to 76 and counting - while earning 110 caps.

He appears destined to break Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances for England, with another tilt at World Cup glory set to be taken in next summer. It has been suggested that Kane could go on to earn GOAT status with the Three Lions - as he overtakes the likes of Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.

Campbell can see Kane playing on for several more seasons, with 108 goals being recorded for Bayern through 113 games. He has become a Bundesliga title winner there and is hungry for more tangible success.

With his obvious qualities still holding up against the best in the business, Campbell - speaking with GOAL via Stake, where you can get Bundesliga picks and predictions - said when asked if Kane can emulate evergreen GOATs Messi and Ronaldo: “I think so. As long as your body allows you, it’s not picking up too many injuries. He never had blistering pace so he is more of a technical finisher. I think he could play for a good while longer. And he still knows where the net is, he’s still scoring, it’s not like he is slowing down. He could continue going on for a long time.”

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Ex-England striker Emile Heskey has previously told GOAL when asked how long Kane could go on for: “I played until I was 32. You can see him going past that. You are looking at Ronaldo, changing the way that he plays, and he’s 39. That is similar to what Harry kind of does. [Alan] Shearer was another, even though you get older, even though there is a change of pace, a change of mobility, he will still score you goals. That’s the key thing. I can see him playing for the national team until 36, depending on the manager. And depending on who is behind you.”

The man himself has told ESPN of being inspired by Messi and CR7: “I think of what they've done, they are as good in their 30s as they were in their 20s. It obviously gives me excitement to know if I keep my body in good shape and keep my mentality right, I could be playing at the highest level for as long as I want to do it. Those players [Ronaldo and Messi] have set the bar - those and a few others as well - and it just motivates me and tells me that it's possible. It is great watching those players still performing, two of the greatest players ever to play our game. For me now, it is almost the second half of my career. I've had a good first half; now, can the second half be even better?”

The big question now is: where will Kane be playing his club football in the short and medium-term future? There are exit clauses in his contract at Bayern that can be triggered at around £57 million ($75m) in 2026.

Campbell added when asked if a Premier League return could be on the cards: “It’s a tough question. It depends how driven he is to be the Premier League’s all-time scorer. I think if he does come back, that will be one of the major reasons - to top Alan Shearer. I don’t know. I’d love to see him back in the Premier League again but he’s doing really well at Bayern Munich now. It’s a flip of a coin for me, I’m not sure what his plans are going into the future - but I know he will be scoring goals wherever he is!”

Kane, as a back-to-back Golden Boot winner in the Bundesliga, has been doing that again this season. With two hat-tricks included in his stunning tally, the 32-year-old has registered 25 goals in 2025-26 through 18 appearances for Bayern and England.

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