When legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon spoke about the top 5 forwards he has faced, there was shockingly no mention of Barcelona star Lionel Messi. Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Inzaghi, Batistuta and Kane made the cut.
"Harry [Kane] is now one of the best strikers in Europe – there is no question about that," Buffon told 'The Mirror'. "As a player, you can always work on parts of your game and try to improve – but there are some things you can’t teach."
"That natural goalscoring instinct is for me a talent that you are born with. I have seen over the years with Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Inzaghi, Batistuta, they have that natural instinct that can really make goalkeepers suffer – and it’s clear Kane also has that," the experienced Juventus man uttered.
Though nobody questions Buffon's judgement, Messi's absence from the list has raised a few eyebrows. The Italian, who will retire at ther end of the season at the age of 40, heaped praise on the Tottenham star.
"Always in my career I have wanted to test myself against the best – and now Harry Kane is one of the best. I have always had the attitude that I don’t fear the best – I respect them – and I always want to play against them."
"That is one of the greatest challenges of playing at the highest level, to test yourself against the best players – that is always something I have enjoyed."