Would 100 England goals for Harry Kane be a record that stands forever? Ex-Three Lions striker Andy Cole explains why ‘frightening’ numbers could still be posted

It took until September 2015 for anyone to reach 50 goals for the England men’s national team, with Wayne Rooney the first to record a half-century. He is also the all-time leading marksman at Old Trafford and finished his international career with 53 strikes.

Kane made his bow for the Three Lions alongside Rooney, with it impossible to predict at that stage what he would go on to achieve. Nobody has found the target on more occasions for Tottenham throughout their history.

Never before seen numbers have also been posted with England, as the evergreen 33-year-old - who has become a talismanic captain of his country - surging beyond Rooney and on to 85 goals. He is just four caps short of matching Peter Shilton’s appearance record.

Given the standards that he sets, and has been able to maintain, it appears to be only a matter of time before the Bayern Munich frontman passes three figures on the goal front. Will anybody get close to emulating those superhuman feats?

When that poser was put to Cole, the 15-cap forward - who was speaking courtesy of Unibet Casino - told GOAL: “I don't know. I think what he's done is absolutely phenomenal.

“Whoever plays after Harry, if they have the opportunity to play the amount of games that he's played for England, in the tournaments he's been to, you just don't know with a modern-day game what people's numbers can be. It's frightening. Like I said, you don't know who's going to replace him, but his numbers are obscene numbers. Fair play to him.”

Another former Three Lions striker, Emile Heskey, has previously told GOAL when asked if Kane will become a goal-getting centurion - much like GOAT icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: “Why not? He’s a goalscorer, that’s what he prides his game on – getting goals. A lot of people say he’s got to do this and this, but when your numbers stack up the way that his do, you kind of look past a lot of it.

“When you look at the way that he plays, and it’s about looking after your body – if he can have the right diet, the right rest, which is a key thing when you look at the amount of games and the intensity of the games, the key thing is can he get enough rest and get recuperated for the next game. He’ll be fine.”

Darren Anderton told GOAL ahead of the 2026 World Cup when asked how high Kane will set his historic England bar before hanging up record-shattering boots: “High! He still has a few years left if he wants them.

“The thing is, he's never relied on being the fastest player in the world. I always said the same about Teddy Sheringham. He's not slow, but pace has never been the biggest part of his game. As he loses a bit of speed, I don't think it'll affect him as much as it would other players. So who knows how far he can go? The concerning issue is that we haven't really got anyone to replace him, so at the moment it looks like he can play for as long as he wants.”

No obvious heir to Kane’s crown has emerged as yet, with Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney among those filling back-up duties for now, but the likes of Liam Delap - on the back of his big-money transfer from Chelsea to Nottingham Forest - will be hoping to step up.

England have nothing to worry about for now because their skipper has stated his intention to play on for some time yet. It remains to be seen whether he can complete another four-year World Cup cycle and pass 100 international goals along the way.