LONDON — Harry Kane will equal Peter Shilton's England record of 125 caps if he features against the Czech Republic at Wembley in the UEFA Nations League, writing another chapter in an illustrious career that already makes him England's record scorer with 89 goals in 124 appearances. The captain opened his account just 79 seconds into his debut, a 4-0 win against Lithuania at Wembley in March 2015, and his double in Saturday's 7-0 win in Croatia took his tally to 11 goals in 12 games for England in this calendar year.
Kane remains irreplaceable at 33 and is England's top scorer in major tournaments with 21 goals in 36 appearances across six showpieces, ahead of Gary Lineker's 10 goals in 18 appearances, and he stands 36 goals clear of second-placed Wayne Rooney, who has 53 goals in 120 games. Last season the Ballon d'Or contender scored 73 goals in 65 games for England and Bayern Munich, he has five hat-tricks for England in 110 starts with a 66% win rate, and he has scored in six consecutive England away games — only Sir Tom Finney's seven between September 1946 and May 1948 is longer. His career is framed by historic Wembley scorelines that define England's past, including the 4-2 win over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final and Manchester United's 4-1 win over Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final.
That history fuels the debate over England's greatest. Bobby Moore, the elegant, unflappable defender who remains the only England captain to lift the World Cup after the 4-2 victory over West Germany at Wembley in July 1966, won 108 caps between May 1962 and November 1973 after winning the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup with West Ham United. Sir Bobby Charlton, who survived the Munich Air Disaster with Manchester United in 1958, won the World Cup and two years later captained United to become the first English team to win the European Cup, scoring twice in the 4-1 win over Benfica at Wembley, and remains third on England's scoring list with 49 goals in 106 games. Sir Geoff Hurst holds a special place with his hat-trick in the World Cup final, while Wayne Rooney and David Beckham also have strong support among modern greats.
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy said: "Bobby Moore will always be in people's conversation. Sir Bobby Charlton also, because of what they did and the memories they created. As you move forward, for me as a kid Gazza [Paul Gascoigne] 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 England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Sport: "Harry Kane is an England great. There is no argument. He will always be part of that conversation now. 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." Robinson added: "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." Kane, who replaced Rooney for his debut in March 2015, is unquestionably England's most important and influential player of the modern era, with the only blemish the failure to add to the one men's World Cup won in 1966. Robinson said: "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."