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Hugo Lloris lifting the 2018 FIFA World Cup trophy put a capstone on the entire tournament, but there’s no denying that this was an excellent, excellent tournament for Tottenham Hotspur. As noted in the post-match festivities, Spurs and England striker Harry Kane won the Golden Boot on Sunday, as his six goals in the tournament went unsurpassed despite Kane not scoring after the first four matches of the competition.
That not only won Harry the prestigious award, but the achievement also ties Gary Lineker’s record of six goals scored for England in a single World Cup. Kane is now four goals back from Lineker’s record of 10 all-time goals for England in a World Cup, and you have to think that if he stays healthy (and England qualify), he’ll have an excellent chance to meet or surpass that record at Qatar 2022.
You don’t have to look very hard to find a critic of Harry in the way he scored his six goals. Half of his tally came from the penalty spot, two were close-range efforts from set pieces, and one was a deflected shot that went in off his back heel almost without his knowledge.
Who cares! They all count, and Kane deserves this award. However, he was not in Moscow to accept the trophy in person, as he opted to join his England teammates as they returned home today.
It was, by any metric you choose, an excellent World Cup for Tottenham players. There were nine Spurs players in the semifinals of the competition, a Spurs player won the Golden Ball, another Spurs player won the whole damn thing, and yet ANOTHER Spurs player (Kieran Trippier) created the most chances.
Most of Tottenham’s World Cup heroes will return to north London exhausted, and nearly all will return disappointed. All of them should hold their heads high.
What a tournament! What a team! COYS!