Harry Kane will equal Peter Shilton's England appearance record of 125 caps if he plays any part in Tuesday's Nations League game against the Czech Republic at Wembley. The captain already owns the scoring record, and the next question is whether he has also become England's greatest-ever international.
BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty argues that Kane is now a serious contender. It is a debate with no neat answer, because the case against him is not about numbers at all.
The Numbers Are Not in Dispute
Kane has 89 England goals in 124 appearances, a career that began with a goal 79 seconds into his debut against Lithuania in March 2015, when he replaced Wayne Rooney. At 33 he is still the first name on the teamsheet. He is 36 goals clear of Rooney, who is second with 53 in 120 games.
At major tournaments he leads the way as well, with 21 goals in 36 appearances across six competitions. Gary Lineker had 10 in 18. Kane's double in Saturday's 7-0 win in Croatia took him to 11 goals in 12 England games this calendar year, and he has scored in six consecutive away matches, a run that only Sir Tom Finney has bettered with seven between 1946 and 1948.
The Case for Moore, Charlton and Rooney
Every list of England's best has to start with 1966. Bobby Moore, the elegant defender who captained the side to the World Cup, won 108 caps. Sir Bobby Charlton scored 49 goals in 106 games, survived the Munich air disaster and won a European Cup with Manchester United. Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick in the final. Nobody wearing an England shirt has done that since.
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy said Moore and Charlton will always be in the conversation because of what they did and the memories they left. He also called Rooney perhaps the most all-round footballer England ever produced, but he did not hesitate about Kane: England's greatest goalscorer, and one of the elite group. Paul Robinson, the former goalkeeper, said the modern game is different enough that comparing eras is hard, and that Kane's greatness may only be fully appreciated years from now.
The Missing Trophy
The counter-argument is the empty cabinet. Kane has lost two World Cup semi-finals and two European Championship finals with England. The Euros in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2028 may be his last chance to change that.
Murphy listed the near misses: no goal in the 2018 semi-final against Croatia, a missed penalty against France in the 2022 quarter-final, and no goal in the Euro 2024 final. He does not buy the idea that Kane fails in the big moments, because a team wins or loses a tournament, not one striker. Robinson pointed to a different kind of compliment: how long England have been wondering what they would do if Kane got injured, because there is no one close to him in that position.
That is perhaps the best evidence in his favour. He scored 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England last season, and at 33 nobody is close to replacing him. If he steps out at Wembley on Tuesday, he draws level with Shilton. If he does not win something with England before he finishes, the debate will never quite end.
Context: England v Czech Republic, UEFA Nations League, Wembley, Tuesday 6 October 2026. Kane: 89 goals in 124 England caps; 21 goals in 36 major tournament games; five hat-tricks; 110 starts with a 66% win rate. Bayern Munich forward, aged 33. Figures from BBC Sport.
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