In 2026, England and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane was crowned the world's best footballer. Indeed, the 33-year-old became the first British player since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the Ballon d'Or.

Most notably, the striker notched 73 goals for club and country on his way to winning the vote, cementing his status as one of the finest players of a generation. That said, Kane's career didn't always look destined for greatness.

He was let go by Arsenal at a young age, and then loaned out by Tottenham to a number of lower-league clubs before finally finding his feet in North London. His consistency since then has been remarkable.

He's scored at least 20 goals in all competitions every season since bagging 31 for Spurs in 2014/15. As such, his success has forced him to come up against many great defenders in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Champions League and World Cup.

When asked to name his toughest opponent, however, Kane chose an Englishman.

Harry Kane Felt British Icon Was The Best Defender He Played Against

Speaking in late 2023, months into his Bayern career, Kane was asked to name the best defender he ever came up against. He did not hesitate as he replied:

“Yeah, I faced John Terry early in my career and I thought, you know, the reason he was one of the best defenders in the world. Really smart, really intelligent.”

Kane came up against Terry four times in his career, all of them while playing for Spurs against Chelsea. The striker won only once, losing twice and drawing the other. That said, Kane did manage to score three times in this period, showing that he was up for the battle.

He was unable to get the better of Terry in the 2014/15 League Cup final, though, as Terry captained the Blues to a 2-0 win, denying Kane his first shot at silverware.

John Terry Was Also Impressed When Facing Harry Kane

It sounds as though there was mutual respect between the pair. Although they never shared the pitch as England teammates, Terry was very impressed by Kane when they met as opponents.

The Chelsea legend named the forward among the five toughest strikers he ever faced, recalling:

Between them, they have 203 caps for the Three Lions. It's just a shame they were unable to overlap their international careers, with Terry calling it quits on England duty in 2012, three years before Kane made his debut (scoring, of course, against Lithuania).