England team confirms losing 'Europe's best player'

England will face Wales in a friendly at Wembley with a strong upper hand, even though their leader Harry Kane is sidelined by injury.

Coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed he will not risk the Bayern Munich star after Kane suffered an ankle injury in the recent match against Eintracht Frankfurt. “He was in so much pain he couldn’t even shoot, and the risk was too high,” Tuchel said, also assuring that Kane will be ready for the World Cup qualifier against Latvia next week.

Harry Kane is currently in peak form this season. The English striker has scored 11 goals in just 6 Bundesliga matches and totals 18 goals with 3 assists in 10 games across all competitions for Bayern Munich. Former Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich called him “the best player in Europe right now”.

“Bayern have won all 10 matches this season, and Kane is at the heart of every goal. With 18 goals and 3 assists, he is simply unstoppable,” Bosnich praised.

However, Kane only ranked 13th in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting, which Tuchel described as “unfair”. “I’m not a fan of individual awards in team sports, but if anyone deserves recognition, it’s Harry. He should be ranked higher than 13th,” the German coach added.

With Kane absent, Tuchel will likely hand the captain’s armband temporarily to Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, or John Stones. Up front, Ollie Watkins is considered the top replacement option, while Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon are also ready to play.

Despite missing their captain, England still boasts a very strong lineup, with players like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish not even included in the squad for the Wales match. According to Transfermarkt, the "Three Lions" squad is valued at $2.85 billion, nearly 8 times more than Wales.

On the other side, Wales coach Craig Bellamy acknowledged the huge gap between the two teams but emphasized a strong fighting spirit.

“They have a squad worth $2.85 billion, we’re only about 346 million. If this were boxing, this fight wouldn’t even be sanctioned. But we’re not here at Wembley for sightseeing, we’re here to fight,” Bellamy asserted.

The match between England and Wales will take place at Wembley, where the visitors have not won since 1977. Despite Kane’s absence, fans still expect the "Three Lions" to demonstrate the strength of a top contender for the 2026 World Cup.