‘Big ask’ - Cristiano Ronaldo used as Harry Kane 2030 World Cup warning as ex-England star Chris Waddle makes international future prediction

The expectation is, having skippered England to a third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup, a prominent role will be played en route to and at a home soil European Championship in the summer of 2028.

By then, Kane should have made more history. He is already the Three Lions’ greatest ever goalscorer, with 85 efforts to his name, and his just four caps short of matching Peter Shilton’s all-time record of 125 appearances.

Thomas Tuchel will continue to look for the Bayern Munich hot-shot to provide attacking inspiration - with there few alternative options to be found in the No.9 department - but Kane, who recently turned 33, cannot go on forever.

GOAT superstars Ronaldo and Lionel Messi did grace the last World Cup at the ages of 41 and 39 respectively, but they have always been exceptions to the rule. Can Kane follow in their illustrious footsteps and enjoy similar longevity?

When that question was put to Waddle, with another four-year cycle being factored into the equation, the ex-England star - speaking in association with BetBrain - told GOAL: “Fitness is a great thing to have. Some players develop, get better as they get older. Some find it easier. Not easier, but easy.

“We'll see how his legs are in two years' time, at the Euros even. People will be questioning that. The thing with Harry's advantage is he's a fit lad, we know that. He doesn't rely on pace. He's got a great football brain.

“Sometimes you see players in tournaments and you think, ‘His legs are going there’. I'm looking at Ronaldo as an example. I watched Portugal play in the World Cup and his legs were gone in my eyes for that level of football. Lionel Messi still had bits of brilliance until the rest of his team-mates decided to try and kick everybody out of the country.

“So I think there's a time and a place where you've actually got to think, ‘Yeah, he can still play, and he can still play like Messi does in Miami, a good level for him’. You know, Ronaldo in Saudi can still handle it. And Harry, eventually he'll come to a time where you think the Bundesliga is too quick. Where do you go from there?

“The next World Cup, it's a big ask for him, I think, to play in that tournament. I think some of these players can think, ‘Yeah, I'm still playing football, but that level's out of me now, and I've enjoyed it’. I think some of these players try and play too long and it doesn't look great on them. But I'm sure Harry will know when the time's right to say, ‘No, I can't play for England anymore’.”

Kane, who made his senior England debut in 2015, has said when asked about his potential involvement at a fourth World Cup: “I'm coming off the back of my best season ever and I'm turning 33. It's impossible to say, four years is such a long way away.

“I've said it before, playing for England is my biggest ambition. I feel as good as I've ever felt. Let's see. I never put a limit on these things. As long as I'm performing the way I am, then I'll be representing England. But, four years is a long time. I'm not getting carried away.”

England will allow Kane to dictate his own future, with that right having been earned through his remarkable exploits down the years. He will be given the chance to play on for as long as he feels capable of making a telling contribution.

A return to club action at Bundesliga title holders Bayern - with Ballon d’Or talk still doing the rounds - will be made before the Three Lions open their latest UEFA Nations League campaign against world champions Spain on September 26.