Leonardo Bonucci Exposes His Masterplan to Shut Down Harry Kane

Leonardo Bonucci highlighted Harry Kane's alleged struggles with physical hold-up play as a key factor in his successful neutralization of the celebrated England striker during the Euro 2020 championship match.

The iconic defender played a crucial role in Italy's tournament triumph, appearing in all fixtures and wearing the captain's band twice. However, his most decisive performance came in the final showdown.

Italy faced England in the championship decider, with the Three Lions seeking their first major trophy since 1966 while enjoying home support at Wembley Stadium. Luke Shaw's early second-minute goal had England supporters believing their long wait might finally end.

However, Bonucci delivered the crucial leveling goal in the second period that forced extra time and ultimately a penalty shootout, where the Azzurri prevailed thanks to Gianluigi Donnarumma's heroic saves.

Bonucci earned Player of the Match honors after decisively winning his duel against Kane, who had netted four goals throughout the tournament before the final. Neutralizing England's top scorer proved vital to Italy's championship victory.

Bonucci Points to Kane's Weaknesses

In conversation with Sports Illustrated, the Juventus legend Bonucci looked back on Italy's Euro 2020 triumph, analyzing his successful tactical battle against Kane that helped secure the trophy. The former defender experienced minimal difficulty containing the England forward.

"Kane, in [the attacking third] of the field, favors making quick, direct runs. So when possession is in that zone he prefers attacking space rather than receiving passes to feet," explained the Italian. "However, when he's in [the middle third] of the field, he enjoys dropping deeper to assist his teammates and create opportunities for others.

"This is exactly what occurred [in the Euro 2020 final]. I wasn't particularly the quickest defender, but I trusted myself over longer distances. Against him, I took calculated risks by attempting to read his movements because I understood that, in the worst situation, I could force [him wide].

"Therefore I remained constantly prepared to intercept him while knowing that Giovanni [Di Lorenzo] was positioned to provide backup. When passes came to [Kane], I succeeded in either cutting them off, which occurred multiple times, or preventing him from making clean connections. That was my objective.

"Frequently I managed to beat him to the ball because regarding physical battles, he wasn't particularly strong in that aspect, so he'd often lose those contests, and we also competed effectively for aerial balls. In that particular match, I dominated most of our individual battles."

Harry Kane's Record vs. Leonardo Bonucci

The statistics certainly support Bonucci's assertions about his matchups against Kane. The duo clashed three times in international competition and the English striker never emerged victorious.

Their initial encounter came in a 2015 international friendly that finished 1–1, with Kane unable to score despite featuring for the full 90 minutes. Euro 2020 marked their second meeting and the Bayern Munich striker was again kept scoreless for a third consecutive clash with Bonucci during the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League as Italy secured a 1–0 win.

Kane has found the net three times in two later matches against Italy—with Bonucci absent from both Euro 2024 qualifying encounters.