Declan Rice says record-breaker Harry Kane “sets the standard” for England and doubts he will ever be overhauled as his country’s leading scorer.
Kane surpassed Wayne Rooney with his 54th England goal, as Gareth Southgate’s side began qualification for Euro 2024 with a 2-1 win in Naples — their first in Italy since 1961.
Fittingly, Kane scored from the penalty spot to make it 2-0 after Rice’s opener, helping to provide some closure for his costly missed spot-kick in the World Cup quarter-final defeat by France.
The Tottenham forward, who became his club’s all-time leading scorer last month, reached the England milestone in 81 caps, and Rice believes he could go on to reach triple figures.
“You could see how happy everyone was for him. You see from that penalty who he is and how he is as a person,” said Rice. “To step up under that pressure and put the ball away, that’s what Harry Kane is. That’s why he’s the best in the world. I’m sure he ain’t going to stop.
“He wants to keep going and I don’t see it ever being beaten now, unless we get another goalscorer like H. It’s very hard to see that. It’s the road to 100 now for him, 75, whatever he fancies.
“I’m delighted for him. It was inevitable he was going to do it over these next two games, and for him to do it on an historic night here is another milestone for him — I don’t know when they’re ever going to end. He’s a top man, a top captain.”
Rice added: “From the moment I first walked in [to the England camp] he was the one that caught my eye.
“The first training session I remember, just the goals he scored in that session. I was only 18 or 19 at the time and I was taken aback about how much a striker like that cared about scoring goals in training. You train how you play — and the way he trains every day sets the standard.
“He’s always out there, always reliable, always turns up, and the way he works, you can see he’s a real captain for us. Look, it’s hardto speak about him, he deserves all the praise he gets.”
Kane was presented with a commemorative shirt and framed picture by his team-mates in the dressing room afterwards and described his goal as “a magical moment”.
“There was a massive cheer for him, a massive clap,” Rice said. “Everyone gave him a hug. He just said thank you for being part of the journey. He thanked the manager, thanked the players, he said it’s been a long road to score 54 goals for England.”
There was a lot of pressure on us ... It’s a big win.
England dominated the first half, with Rice and Jude Bellingham particularly impressive in the midfield, but Italy responded superbly after the interval and halved the deficit through debutant Mateo Retegui.
“It’s massive,” Rice said. “There was a lot of pressure on us, a lot of people watching to see how we’d react to the World Cup. It comes down to mentality, the desire, what the manager demands and the quality we have. It’s a big win.”
On his own performance, Rice added: “I don’t really play in that position for my club. At West Ham it’s totally different format the way I play. When I’m here, there’s more demand on me on the ball.
“It’s something I want to improve on. I want to put myself among the best, dictating games. I think you saw that in the first half.”
