Harry Kane will equal Peter Shilton’s all-time England appearance record of 125 caps if he plays any part in the Uefa Nations League meeting with the Czech Republic at Wembley. England’s captain is already his country’s record goalscorer, with 89 goals in 124 appearances, and the milestone would add another chapter to a career that began when he opened his account 79 seconds into his debut.
That debut came in a 4-0 win over Lithuania at Wembley in March 2015. In the years since, Kane has been England’s mainstay, and he is described as still irreplaceable at 33.
The numbers behind his case are considerable. Kane stands 36 goals clear of England’s second-highest scorer, Wayne Rooney, who finished with 53 goals in 120 games. He is also England’s leading scorer in major tournaments by a wide margin, with 21 goals in 36 appearances across six of those showpieces, compared with Gary Lineker’s 10 goals in 18. His double in Saturday’s 7-0 win in Croatia took his tally to 11 goals in 12 England games in this calendar year, and he has scored in six consecutive England away matches — only Sir Tom Finney has managed a longer run, with seven between September 1946 and May 1948. Last season alone, Kane scored 73 goals in 65 games for England and his club Bayern Munich, while his England career so far includes five hat-tricks and 110 starts, with a 66% win rate.
The only obvious blemish on that record is the absence of a major international trophy to add to the one men’s World Cup England won in 1966 — a gap that is not his alone. Any argument about where Kane ranks quickly turns to the men who did win it. Bobby Moore remains the only England captain to lift the World Cup, leading his side to a 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley in July 1966. Moore was only 25 at the time and had already won the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup with West Ham United; he collected 108 caps between May 1962 and November 1973.
The conversation then turns to Sir Bobby Charlton, who survived the Munich Air Disaster with Manchester United in 1958 to become arguably England’s most famous footballer of his era. Charlton won the World Cup and, two years later, captained Manchester United when they became the first English team to win the European Cup, scoring twice as Benfica were beaten 4-1 at Wembley. He remains third on England’s list of scorers with 49 goals in 106 games. Sir Geoff Hurst will always have his own place secured by his hat-trick in the World Cup final, while more recent players such as Rooney and David Beckham have their own advocates.
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy places Kane firmly in that company. “Bobby Moore will always be in people’s conversation. Sir Bobby Charlton also, because of what they did and the memories they created,” he said. “As you move forward, for me as a kid Gazza burst on the scene and became a hero, especially as a creative midfield player myself. I think Rooney was arguably the most all-round footballer we have ever had, the most talented I’ve seen — but no-one can argue with Harry Kane’s quality, numbers and longevity. It is the record of an England great.” Murphy added: “There is one thing there is no debate about. Harry Kane is England’s greatest goal scorer. Is he England’s greatest player? This is all about opinions and eras, but his record and longevity alone informs you that he is an England great. He is in that elite group.”
Former international Paul Robinson told BBC Sport that the scale of Kane’s achievements may only be fully appreciated later. “Harry Kane is an England great. There is no argument. He will always be part of that conversation now,” Robinson said. “I think we are guilty in the modern era of underestimating what we’ve got in front of us. We are quite happy to look through rose-tinted spectacles at what we had in the past. We will talk about Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton, but football now is a completely different game. The life of a footballer is completely different and it’s almost like they are playing a different game. What Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton achieved, nobody in an England shirt has done since. You respect what they did in the era, and the status and legacy that comes with winning the World Cup and everything else they did, but we must also say it is a different game now.” Robinson pointed to the recurring question of how England would cope without their captain, saying: “The biggest compliment you can pay Harry Kane is to ask yourself how long we’ve been pondering the question ‘what will England do if Harry Kane gets injured?’ There is no-one close to his class in that position.”
The lack of a major international trophy will remain the counter-argument used against suggestions that Kane is England’s greatest. He has come close, only to lose two World Cup semi-finals and two European Championship finals. Murphy listed the specific moments: no goal in the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia, none in the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley, a missed penalty against France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final, and no goal in the Euro 2024 final against Spain or in the World Cup semi-final against Argentina. “In the big moments, it didn’t happen for him,” Murphy said, although he rejected the suggestion that the responsibility lies with Kane alone. “I don’t adhere to that observation at all because it’s not just him. Anyone can miss a penalty. The reality is the team itself, the tactics, all those things factor into why England haven’t got over the line.”
The next European Championship, hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2028, could represent Kane’s last chance to change that record. Robinson believes the appreciation will grow with time. “I think we’ll appreciate him even more in another 10, 15, 20 years when you look back and see what he has achieved,” he said. “People will point to the lack of silverware with England, but he can’t play everywhere can he? We look back with nostalgia and fondness, saying we’ve had this great and that great — and England have — but make no mistake Kane is right in that debate and will be for years to come.”