Harry Kane to earn record 126th England cap at Wembley against Croatia on 12 November

Thursday's fixture

England host Croatia in the Nations League at Wembley on Thursday, 12 November, when Harry Kane is set to make his 126th appearance for his country. That cap will move him past Peter Shilton, the former goalkeeper who has held the all-time record since 1990, when he finished his 20-year career. Kane is already England's record goalscorer with 91 goals, and head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Kane will start and captain the side. Shilton will present Kane with a memento of the milestone before kick-off, and the Ballon d'Or that Kane won in October will also be recognised.

Kane on pressure and records

Asked whether he still felt he had points to prove, Kane said the feeling would never leave him, and that it pushes him to keep improving.

“I don't think it will ever leave me”

Kane said his biggest fear is finishing his career believing he could have done more. He wants to reach 100 England goals as soon as possible, and he has framed his records as a benchmark that younger players can aim at.

Caps and the next generation

Kane has earned 75 per cent of his England appearances as captain, according to the Evening Standard. Declan Rice has 80 caps at the age of 27, and Jude Bellingham has 60 at 23. Kane said he intends to set a high number for them to chase, adding that the goal record will be hard to beat for some time.

Harry Kane (before Croatia match)125

Declan Rice80

Jude Bellingham60

Harry Kane (before Croatia match)

125 caps

Declan Rice

80 caps

Jude Bellingham

60 caps

Data from the article text

Kane has said that setting standards, being available for every match and scoring goals is how he hopes to motivate the squad's younger players, and he said he was surprised to realise how young he was when he became captain.

Goals and tournament numbers

Kane has scored 91 goals for England, well ahead of Wayne Rooney, who retired with 53. The BBC notes he has 21 goals at tournament finals, a record for England. The Guardian reports he has 36 tournament appearances, the most by an Englishman, and leads the European Championship appearance list with 18.

Harry Kane91

Wayne Rooney53

Harry Kane

91 goals

Wayne Rooney

53 goals

Data from the article text

Kane recently signed a contract extension with Bayern Munich until 2029, according to the Guardian, and the same outlet notes he has played 26 more competitive games for England than anyone else.

Milestones in context

The BBC recalls that Kane scored his first England goal after 79 seconds of his debut, a 4-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Lithuania in March 2015. His first England hat-trick came in a 6-1 win over Panama at the 2018 World Cup, and he went on to win the Golden Boot that summer with six goals. The Guardian notes that on 126 caps Kane will draw level with Dani Alves, Eden Hazard and Paolo Maldini, while Kevin De Bruyne and Luis Figo are on 127 and Manuel Neuer on 128.