Harry Kane will join an exclusive list of players if he features for England in their Nations League clash with Finland at Wembley on Tuesday night. The 31-year-old striker is set to become a centurion, after earning his 99th cap for the Three Lions against the Republic of Ireland.
It is a milestone that only ten other players have reached in England’s long history, so Kane’s achievement should certainly not be devalued. The Bayern Munich forward is also, of course, his country’s record goal scorer, with 66 to his name so far.
He will be hoping for plenty more as he looks to fire England towards an elusive trophy. And there will likely be plenty more caps for Kane, assuming he stays fit and avoids injury in his 30s.
Kane might have Peter Shilton’s record of 125 England appearances in his sights too. Another 20 games would take the ex-Tottenham captain level with Wayne Rooney (120 caps), and he is 15 away from David Beckham.
Steven Gerrard is the fourth most capped England player (114), ahead of World Cup winner Bobby Moore (108) and former Arsenal and Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole (107). Rounding off the esteemed list of centurions are Sir Bobby Charlton (106), Frank Lampard (106) and Billy Wright (105).
Kane has established himself as an England legend since making his debut in a 4-0 win over Lithuania in 2015. He has since played more matches at major international tournaments than any other player for the Three Lions (28). And the motivation to succeed for his country remains strong, despite the disappointment of defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
"I think when you look at players like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Luka] Modric and [Lionel] Messi, all these players who are playing in their mid to late 30s, that's the inspiration for me because it shows that you can really play at a high level for a long time," Kane told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I want to play football for as long as possible and at the highest level for as long as possible. I use those players for motivation and inspiration to be able to do that.
“I feel I am in a really good place both mentally and physically to have another great season, hopefully that continues for many years to come."
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