What a year it’s been for Harry Kane.The Tottenham Hotspur striker was included alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the shortlist for the 2017 Ballon d’Or and, in his final game of the year, set a new Premier League record.Kane scored the first for Spurs, his 37th of the year. That means he has surpassed Alan Shearer’s previous record of 36 from 1995.The England international then went on to make it 2-0, surpassing Lionel Messi with his 55th goal for club and country in the calendar year. Just superb.

It’s a tremendous achievement for a player who is the epitome of hard work and dedication. Surely he has to be considered as not just the best striker in England, but as one of the top three forwards on the planet?

Kane opened the scoring against Southampton with a fine header from Christian Eriksen’s free-kick.

Shearer's tweet

And it didn’t take long for Shearer to offer his congratulations on Twitter.

“You’ve had a magnificent 2017 @HKane,” the Newcastle United legend wrote. “You deserve to hold the record of most @premierleague goals in a calendar year. Well done and keep up the good work. 👏🏻🙋🏼‍♂️”.

Class from Shearer, who can be forgiven for feeling a little disappointed at losing his record deep down.

Fans are wondering now whether Kane will surpass Shearer’s record tally of Premier League goals, which stands at 260.

He recently admitted that it’s on his mind.

"Of course you dream about it, but I'd be silly to look that far ahead I think," Kane said, per Sky Sports. "I've still got a long way to go. A lot can happen in football.

"Hopefully I can stay fit, stay sharp and we'll see what happens. Maybe if I get to 200 and I've still got a few more years left then I'll start thinking about it.

"But for now I'm concentrating on each game. I've had a great 2017 and hopefully, for me, it's an improved 2018 and I get even better."