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Messi, Mbappé and Haaland's goals motivated me, admits Kane
Harry Kane admitted the fast starts of Messi, Mbappé and Haaland motivated him ahead of England's opener, and responded with two goals of his own in the 4-2 win over Croatia.
England captain Harry Kane, named Player of the Match after his brace in the 4-2 win over Croatia, admitted he was motivated by the fast starts of his rivals in the race for the Golden Boot — Messi, Mbappé and Haaland.
"Yes, of course I saw the boys' goals yesterday. I don't usually pay much attention to what others are doing. But I think it's normal as a sportsman and an athlete to try to reach the highest possible level. Obviously all those guys started in a fantastic way. I had been waiting a long time just to play my match — we had to wait six days for it. As a striker it's natural to want to score as soon as possible, and I think deep down that competition helps me raise my level. That's what the World Cup is for: the best players performing at the highest level. So it's definitely nice to have scored two goals today," said Kane.
Messi scored the tournament's only hat-trick so far in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria, while Mbappé and Haaland — like Kane — both netted twice in their opening matches, against Senegal and Iraq respectively.
