Former Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado has opened up about how Harry Kane's rapid rise became a nightmare during his time at the club. The young Englishman forced his way into the first team so swiftly that Soldado found himself sidelined and eventually had to depart London.
Soldado's reflections came in light of Kane receiving the Ballon d'Or for 2026 at a ceremony in London, where he outshone the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
For the 41-year-old Soldado, this news served as a reminder of the days when the future Ballon d'Or winner was just starting to carve out his path in the professional game.
“That guy just destroyed me”
Soldado signed for Tottenham in the summer of 2013 after a stellar season at Valencia, where he netted 30 goals in 40 appearances.
Spurs paid around €30 million for the Spaniard, hoping to secure a prolific striker. However, he struggled to replicate his success in England.
At the same time, Kane was returning from a loan spell at Leicester City.
Soldado recalled:
He came in to train with us, and even during training, when I saw how he finished chances, I thought: “Blimey, what a player!”
Initially, Kane didn’t get much game time, but he gradually began to score at almost every opportunity.
Soldado remembered:
We played in the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup, and League Cup. This lad would come on, get his minutes, and score, score, score.
He just destroyed me. Truly, he obliterated my chances.
According to Soldado, it became increasingly difficult to compete with the young Englishman.
He was getting more and more playing time across all competitions. Then he just shot past us like a rocket.
Kane's ascent forced Soldado to depart
In the 2013/14 season, Kane managed only four goals, but he made a spectacular breakthrough the following campaign.
The Englishman ended the season with 31 goals across all competitions, firmly establishing himself as Tottenham’s main striker.
For Soldado, this meant losing his place in the squad. In two years at the club, he scored 16 goals in 76 matches before returning to Spain in the summer of 2015, signing with Villarreal.
Previously, Soldado had admitted that he found it very hard to cope with his struggles in England.
Now, years later, he looks back with admiration at the player who effectively ended his Spurs career.
“We knew he was special from the start”
After Soldado's departure, Kane became a legend at the London club. Over a decade in the first team, he scored 280 goals in 435 Premier League appearances.
In 2023, the Englishman moved to Bayern Munich, where he has continued to showcase his impressive scoring prowess.
Kane has already racked up 156 goals and 40 assists in 159 matches for the Bundesliga giants. He has also collected five trophies, including two league titles.
At the 2026 World Cup, Kane found the net six times and provided one assist, which played a crucial role in him claiming the Ballon d'Or.
Soldado noted that the award was a fitting culmination of his former rival's career:
Those of us who recognised he was special back then weren’t wrong. Just look at him now. So many years have passed, and he’s still a world-class striker.
For Soldado, Kane’s arrival once dealt a significant blow to his career, but today he reflects on those events with respect for the player whose talent he spotted early on during training sessions.
