Harry Kane, England’s all‑time leading scorer, is poised to equal Peter Shilton’s record of 125 international appearances within the next fortnight as the Three Lions face Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic in the Nations League at Wembley.
Kane, who currently sits four caps shy of Shilton’s tally, could match the goalkeeper’s total across a quartet of fixtures – a home clash with reigning European champions Spain, a game against Croatia and two matches versus the Czech Republic. “Growing up, the dream was just to play for England and being most‑capped was never even in my mind at that stage,” the striker said.
“The journey has been incredible to this stage, and we have achieved so much as a group and personally achieved so much and been in finals, taking the England team to a level that it hasn’t been for a long, long time. So, to be four away from the all‑time is just incredible and hopefully I am able to play the four games and then be back in November and be able to break it.”
Kane is one of only ten England players to have reached a century of caps. By contrast, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has appeared 233 times, while Lionel Messi and Luka Modrić have each surpassed 200 caps for Argentina and Croatia respectively. Former Tottenham teammates such as Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Ivan Perišić belong to a growing group of modern internationals with more than 150 appearances.
“It makes you wonder why (not) as well with England. Is it a cultural thing? Is it a mentality thing? Is it maybe the pressure from the outside? Why have some of our great England players not reached that 160, 170, 180 caps like some of the other nations?”
Despite his 85 goals for England, a major tournament triumph remains elusive. With a home European Championship in two years offering a potential final chance, Kane is targeting Saturday’s showdown with Spain as a chance to “lay down a marker” and prove England can compete with the world’s elite.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
