Harry Kane vs Gary Lineker & Jimmy Greaves! How England’s leading goalscorer ranks as Peter Shilton assesses the man set to break his all-time cap record

Kane made his senior international debut in 2015, with his goal account being opened inside 80 seconds of stepping off the bench during a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania. There has been no stopping him from there, with bars of individual brilliance being raised to heights that have never been seen before.

Wayne Rooney - who was the first man to pass 50 goals for the Three Lions - has been left trailing in Kane’s wake as a stunning tally has been taken to 81 through 115 matches. Three figures would appear to be in reach, with it being suggested that a major trophy win would cement the current captain’s standing as English football’s GOAT.

There will always be generational divides in discussions such as that, with it difficult to compare players that competed across markedly different eras. England have been blessed with several superstar strikers down the years, with Kane merely being dropped into that talent pool.

Quizzed on whether Kane is the greatest all-round striker within that group, with the likes of Greaves and Lineker being more natural finishers, former Three Lions keeper Shilton - speaking in association with Lynx Fine Fragrance and their ‘The Official Makeup’ campaign - told GOAL: “Jimmy Greaves was one of my heroes growing up. He was just a brilliant dribbler, he was so light-footed, he could score goals from anywhere - tap-ins, long shots, beat two players and score. At his peak, Jimmy Greaves was just unbelievable.

“He was just a natural, and Gary was a different type. You wouldn't say Gary would beat two people dribbling, but he had this great pace and the ability to be in the right place at the right time, which is what strikers are about, but also a great finisher - cool as a cucumber. He was so cool at the last minute and he always said to me he was taught when he was at Leicester, the one thing he was told was ‘hit the target and keep it low and if he could get pace on it, do so’. So, that was his three things and so many times you saw that.

“Harry's a little bit different because he's bigger - he's probably a bigger threat in the air, that's for sure. I don't think he's as quick as Gary, but he's still quick enough. The other night [against Croatia] he scored from a corner, he scores from outside the box and he's just a natural goal scorer. He’s probably a bit more far reaching, from corners and free-kicks, that type of thing. But all great goal scorers.”

Kane is now only 10 appearances away from matching Shilton on that front, with the ex-Nottingham Forest and Leicester City shot-stopper having figured in 125 matches over the course of two decades between 1970 and 1990.

Shilton is happy to pass a piece of history on to Kane, saying when asked if he expected said record to have gone by now given that modern schedules include a lot more international football than those of bygone eras: “There's been a few occasions where I felt possibly players were coming on from substitute for five or ten minutes at the end of games and getting a cap that I thought, ‘oh, I'm not sure if that's right’.

“But with Harry there's none of that - he plays in matches, he gives 100 per cent, his record's brilliant. So, if anybody's going to do it, I think for a striker as well to play beyond - although it’s changing these days with [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo playing when they're 40. Probably in my era, players, strikers were known to be going over the top at 32.

“It looks as though Harry could break it. I'd be pleased for him to break it because I do respect him. I do respect him the way he acts as a professional. And he's a striker, which is the hardest position to play - second hardest is goalkeeper!”

Kane and England will be in World Cup action on Tuesday when taking on Ghana at Gillette Stadium - the home of the New England Patriots NFL franchise - in Foxborough, with Thomas Tuchel and Co hoping for no mishaps there after seeing their skipper bag a brace in a tournament-opening 4-2 win over Croatia.

Shilton, the man on the wrong end of the most disputed moment in football history, has finally drawn a line under it all. In an extraordinary act of reconciliation powered by Lynx Fine Fragrance, Shilton shook hands with a mascot embodying the infamous moment from the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The moment, dubbed ‘The Official Makeup’, marks the first time Shilton has publicly let bygones be bygones over football’s longest standing controversy.

The Official Makeup took place on the football field of Chelmsford FC, close to Peter’s hometown, and men’s fragrance brand Lynx flew in their Argentinian mascot, who features in the brand’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup 2026, all the way to Chelmsford for the historic makeup. Full time: Shilton x Lynx 1, Grudges 0.