One away from history! Harry Kane matches Peter Shilton’s England caps record at Wembley

Kane has further etched his name into the annals of English football history by equalling Shilton's long-standing record of 125 international caps. The landmark moment occurred on Tuesday night as the Three Lions captain led his side out for a Nations League fixture against the Czech Republic at Wembley. Already the nation’s leading goalscorer, Kane continues to dismantle records that many believed would stand for decades, transitioning from a clinical finisher to the ultimate servant of the national team.

The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker began his international journey back in 2015 during a qualifying match against Lithuania. In what served as a prophetic glimpse of the decade to come, Kane scored a header just 80 seconds after coming off the bench to replace the legendary Wayne Rooney. Since that explosive introduction, he has become the heartbeat of the modern England era, leading the team to two consecutive European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final, while consistently proving his worth as a world-class operator on the biggest stages.

Speaking to ITV before the historic kick-off, Kane reflected on his journey and the significance of the evening. He said: "I think it is always special walking out now and seeing the stadium with the excitement of what's to come. I try and not take it for granted - it is a special night tonight but we have to focus on the job."

He added: "I felt like I was waiting on the sideline for ages to come on for Wazza. It was just as I dreamt it - coming on and scoring and it was the start of something special. I am extremely proud to represent and play for England. I have been lucky enough to do it a fair few times. We have been extremely close to a trophy for a while now. I think we are closer than we have ever been. The team is in a good place, I'm in a good place."

Shilton, the legendary goalkeeper who earned his final cap in 1990, was quick to offer his congratulations to the man now sharing his pedestal. In a warm video message released shortly before the match, Shilton expressed his admiration for Kane’s work ethic and predicted that the record would soon belong solely to the former Tottenham man.

Shilton stated: "Hi, this is a message for harry Kane. Peter Shilton here. I would just like to congratulate you on equalling my caps record for England. And you will go on and beat it in November, I'm sure of that. Maybe you will set a record that will never be beaten, because you are still going strong Harry, still playing well and scoring goals, and I know how much dedication and hard work you actually put into achieving this, especially as a striker. I think that is probably the hardest position to play and goalkeeper is just behind that because of the responsibility."

Kane’s statistics for England are nothing short of breathtaking, as he currently sits on 89 international goals. This tally places him as the joint-seventh highest-scoring male player in the history of international football, though he remains some distance behind the 146 goals scored by Al-Nassr and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Domestically, he has completely eclipsed Wayne Rooney’s previous record of 53 goals, a milestone he notably surpassed during a qualifying match in early 2023.