Harry Kane has now scored 55 goals this calendar year

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Edinson Cavani have all had incredible years in front of goal, but one man stands out above them all: Harry Kane.


 Kane went into the game against Southampton on Tuesday needing two goals to move above Messi and claim the title of 2017's top goalscorer and he duly did so, netting a second hat-trick in succession.

 The first goal saw him draw level with Messi on 54 goals and also beat a 22-year Premier League record in the process. The second, a simple tap-in after good work from Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min, took his tally to 55 goals in 52 games for club and country in 2017, an incredibly tally for a man who Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino believes can still improve. Not content with a brace, Kane added a third in the second half with a beautiful dink, meaning that he finishes 2017 on 56 goals for the year, ahead of Messi (54), Cavani, Lewandowski and Ronaldo (53).

The stats prove what many have been claiming for some time now: that Kane is undoubtedly world class. The fact that Kane reached the tally in just 52 games is all the more impressive when you consider that Messi needed 64 games to reach his total.

 The England man has scored 49 goals for Spurs and 7 for the 'Three Lions' this year, with his tally of 39 leaving stars such as Alan Shearer (36 in 1995) and Robin Van Persie (35 in 2011) trailing in his wake.