England’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to France on Saturday will go down as a day filled with triumph and heartache for Harry Kane, as the star forward both made history and narrowly missed out on the chance to send his country to the semifinals.
With France leading 1-0 early on, Kane netted a 54th-minute penalty kick to tie Wayne Rooney’s record as England’s all-time leading scorer with 53 goals. Later in the match, Kane sailed a PK opportunity in the 82nd minute that would’ve even scored at 2–2, a crucial miss that ultimately helped decide England’s fate.
Kane’s missed PK is a moment likely to remain with the 29-year-old for the foreseeable future, but in the midst of England’s tough exit, the Three Lions captain received a few words of encouragement from none other than Rooney himself. The former England star took a moment to celebrate his former teammate for pulling even with his record while commending the team for their effort.
“Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they’ve played this tournament and they should be proud,” Rooney wrote. “Congratulations to @HarryKane on equalling the record, he’ll be on his own soon and couldn’t think of anyone better to take over. Keep your head up Harry.”
Although his World Cup run is now officially over, Kane, who scored two goals in the tournament, will leave Qatar having etched a spot in the history books in impressive fashion.
Kane’s 53rd goal came just 80 games into his national team career, besting Rooney’s mark of 120 matches to become England’s leading goalscorer. Since March of last year 2021, Kane has scored 21 times in 29 games for his country.
