Croatia's Caleta-Car hails Kane as 'master of the game' ahead of World Cup opener in Dallas

Croatia defender Duje Caleta-Car has warned his teammates that Harry Kane is a “master of the game” as England and Croatia gear up for their World Cup 2026 Group L opener in Dallas on Wednesday — a rematch of the 2018 semi-final that ended England’s hopes in Russia.

Kane arrives in Texas in the form of his life. The Bayern Munich striker scored 66 goals in 56 games last season as the Bavarians won a second successive Bundesliga title and lifted the German Cup, and he carried that momentum into England’s pre-tournament friendly, netting the only goal in a 1-0 win over New Zealand. He is also England’s all-time record scorer, with 79 goals in 113 international appearances.

Caleta-Car, who spent several seasons at Southampton before moving on, drew specifically on Croatia’s 2021 European Championship group-stage defeat to England — a 1-0 loss at Wembley — when assessing the threat Kane poses.

“Kane impressed me in our match against England at the European Championship, even though he didn’t score,” the centre-back said. “His movement and positioning — you can clearly see he’s a master of the game and knows exactly what he’s doing.”

The fixture carries significant emotional weight for Kane personally. He has endured repeated heartbreak at major tournaments: a 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to this same Croatia side, a quarter-final exit to eventual runners-up France in 2022, and back-to-back European Championship final defeats against Italy and Spain. Wednesday’s match represents another opportunity to begin rewriting that narrative.

Croatia, who finished third at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, are under no illusions about the scale of the task. Caleta-Car acknowledged England’s individual quality while insisting Zlatko Dalic’s side are prepared.

“The most important thing is that we translate everything we’ve worked on during our preparations onto the pitch and try to execute all of the coach’s ideas,” he said. “We must not give them too much space because they have quality individuals who can decide a game with a single move. But we’re ready and looking forward to the first match.”