Highlights
- Jude Bellingham called Kane “the best England player to ever wear the shirt”
- The Bayern Munich striker now has 91 international goals
- Kane is nine goals short of becoming only the fourth male player to reach 100 international goals
- Shilton congratulated Kane and backed him to break the record in November
JUDE BELLINGHAM has called Harry Kane “the best England player to ever wear the shirt” after the captain marked his record-equalling appearance with two goals in England’s 3-0 Nations League victory over the Czech Republic at Wembley.
Kane made his 125th appearance for England on Tuesday (6), levelling with former goalkeeper Peter Shilton at the top of the men’s appearance list.
Bellingham paid tribute to Kane’s contribution both on and off the pitch.
“First and foremost he is an unbelievable human being, as a captain and a man,” Bellingham told ITV. “He is the best England player to ever wear the shirt, and it is an honour to play with him. He is pretty unmatched. He is scoring goals for fun, he goes deep, and he gets tackles in. He is only getting better.”
Kane responded to the milestone with another decisive performance. He helped England take the lead when his cross was turned into his own net by Czech defender Vladimir Coufal before scoring twice himself.
England’s victory gave Kane a night to remember at the stadium where his international career began more than 11 years ago.
A record shared with Shilton
Kane’s 125th cap brought him level with Shilton, whose record had stood since 1990.
The former England goalkeeper congratulated the striker after the match and predicted that Kane would soon move beyond the mark.
“You will go on and beat (the record) in November, I’m sure of that, and maybe go on and set a record that will never be beaten,” Shilton said in a video posted on X.
He added that Kane was “still going strong, still playing well and scoring goals”, while praising the dedication and hard work that had taken him to the milestone.
Kane is expected to move beyond Shilton when England play again in November.
The 33-year-old has already established himself as England’s leading goalscorer and now has 91 international goals. He needs only nine more to reach 100, a landmark achieved by only three male players in international football: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ali Daei.
Kane’s growing list of England records
Kane’s latest achievement adds to a long list of records he has collected during his England career.
He overtook Wayne Rooney as England’s leading scorer and became the country’s most-capped outfield player at the World Cup earlier this year.
He also broke Gary Lineker’s record for England goals at the World Cup during the tournament.
Kane initially drew level with Lineker on 10 World Cup goals after scoring twice against Croatia before moving ahead with a goal against Panama. He finished the tournament with 14 World Cup goals.
He also holds England records for major tournament appearances, with 36, major tournament goals, with 21, and major tournament matches as captain, with 32. His 31 goals at Wembley are another national record.
‘He’s a machine’
England manager Thomas Tuchel said Kane’s latest performance was another example of the consistency he brings to the team.
“It’s what he does,” Tuchel said. “I don’t take it for granted; it’s just exceptional every single match.”
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane also praised Kane’s appetite for goals.
“He’s at the level where tonight, this is what we expect of him: two, three goals, whatever. The guy’s a machine,” Keane said on ITV.
Kane had earlier said he remained focused on the team despite the personal significance of the occasion.
“I think it’s always special, even just walking out now and seeing the stadium, just the excitement of what’s to come,” he said. “I try and never take it for granted. It’s obviously a special night tonight, but as always, we’ve got to focus on the job.”
For England, the 3-0 win provided another strong performance in the Nations League.
(with inputs from agencies)
