“Harry Kane surpasses Thierry Henry among the best forwards of the century.”

A recent BBC list of the best forwards of the 21st century has sparked a controversy that promises to shake up the football world. Harry Kane, the iconic English forward, was ranked second, surpassing even the legendary Thierry Henry. This bold choice is sure to displease Arsenal fans, who regard Henry as one of football’s greatest icons.

In the list, the only player ahead of Kane is the mythical Ronaldo Nazário, one of the most formidable strikers in the history of the sport. Kane, currently playing for Bayern Munich, has surpassed heavyweights like Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Luis Suarez. Surprisingly, even the young prodigy Erling Haaland was placed above several of these legends, despite his career still being on the rise.

Kane’s journey is nothing short of impressive. Recently, he reached the incredible milestone of 500 goals in 743 matches across all competitions. This feat was achieved on February 14, when he scored two goals in Bayern’s 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen. Among those 500 goals, 100 were converted from penalties, showcasing his effectiveness in crucial moments. Kane has become the fastest player to reach 100 goals for a single club in the five major European leagues this century, accomplishing it in just 104 matches for Bayern.

For years, the lack of titles weighed on his reputation, but at 32 years old, Kane finally broke that stigma by winning the Bundesliga title last season. In August 2025, he added the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup to his resume by scoring in the 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart. His performance in the Bundesliga has been phenomenal, tallying 109 goals in just 116 matches.

As for the England national team, Kane is the all-time leading scorer and has captained England in two European Championship finals, in 2021 and 2024. Additionally, he secured his team’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup by scoring two goals in the 5-0 victory over Latvia in October 2025.

In the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, Kane ranks third among the top scorers and is Bayern’s leading scorer in the competition as of February 25, 2026, having netted eight goals in eight matches. He has also surpassed David Beckham, becoming the English player with the most combined goals and assists in the history of the Champions League.

The absence of Thierry Henry from the top two on the list is sure to spark heated discussions. The Frenchman won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and the Champions League in 2008 with Barcelona, in addition to being Arsenal’s all-time top scorer with 228 goals and the leading scorer for the French national team until he was surpassed by Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappé.

Other notable names left out of the top 10 include Samuel Eto’o, 2004 Ballon d’Or winner Andriy Shevchenko, and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Luis Suarez, despite breaking the dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the European Golden Shoe on two occasions and winning six league titles, finds himself in ninth place.

With so much controversy and heated debates, this BBC list is set to be a hot topic among football fans in the coming times.