Kane and Cavani agree on toughest defender they've faced in football

Harry Kane and Edinson Cavani both agree on the toughest defender they have faced in football.

The pair of Premier League strikers have faced some elite defenders in their time but the marksman often get the better of those trying to stop them.

While Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane has spent all of his career in England, Manchester United 's Cavani has only been in the top flight for one year after terrorising back lines in Italy and France with Palermo, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain.

Having each played in finals and multiple Champions League clashes, players such as Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique and Virgil van Dijk have squared off against the strikers but a recent European champion has taken the title of toughest.

Cavani and Chiellini are both masters of their trade ( Image:

Getty)

Juventus centre-back Georgio Chiellini is that man, leading his fellow Italians to Euro 2020 glory over the summer.

Cavani recently revealed in a United fans Q&A. "You can imagine that I've played against lots of different opponents, and lots of tough ones too," explained the ex-PSG hitman.

"But I've always said, and for a long time now, that the most difficult defender I've come up against was Giorgio Chiellini.

"We've played against each other in many games, and we've competed against each other all over the pitch, so yes I can tell you that Giorgio Chiellini has been the toughest defender I've had to face."

Kane has faced Chiellini four times and not won any of those matches ( Image:

Julian Finney)

Echoing the thoughts of the Uruguayan, Kane told the Guardian three years before he faced the stalwart in the Wembley final: "I've been asked a few times to name the toughest defender I've played against and I've said Chiellini. I've faced him a couple of times.

"I'd also say John Terry," noted the 28-year-old.

"Chiellini is very experienced. He uses his body well and his positioning well. When you try to make runs, he knows when to step across you. He knows when to give you a little nudge to put you off balance.

"He obviously knows when to come tight and get up your backside and also when to drop off. It's the experienced defenders that are the most difficult because they know where to be at the right times."

Ahead of July's final with Italy against England, the 37-year-old admitted he was a fan of Kane and said to EURO2020.com : "I have always liked him a lot.

"I still remember one of his first matches with England, when we played against them in Turin [on Kane's full England debut, a 1-1 draw in 2015]. Even then he made a huge impression on me. I was lucky enough to play against him [in Juventus' Champions League clash with Spurs].

"He knows how to play deep and how to play a defence-splitting pass for a team-mate. He scores with his head and from long and close range."