Harry Kane: The key moments of his England career after caps record

Harry Kane became England's most-capped male player against Croatia on Thursday night. The Bayern Munich striker won his 126th cap, taking him clear of Peter Shilton , on a night of celebration at Wembley .

Kane , 33, netted his 92nd international goal as the skipper’s spot-kick sealed a 2-1 win over Croatia and set up a Nations League shootout in Spain .

Here, BOYLE Sports takes a look at the key moments of his England career.

Dream start

Dream start

Kane set the tone for an imperious England career by scoring just 79 seconds into his debut. He came off the bench in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania and less than two minutes later he had opened his account.

From Russia with love

From Russia with love

The striker had proven himself to be one of the most prolific marksmen in Europe with Tottenham , but he delivered on the world stage in 2018. Kane scored six goals at the World Cup , including a hat-trick, to win the Golden Boot as England made it to the semi-finals for the first time in 28 years.

History maker

History maker

Kane delivered arguably his single biggest England goal as he sent them to their first major tournament final in 55 years. He saw his Euro 2020 semi-final penalty saved in extra time by Denmark’s Kasper Schmeichel , but slotted home the rebound to create history.

Qatar heartbreak

Qatar heartbreak

It has not been total success for Kane as arguably the lowest point of his career came in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final. The captain had already scored one penalty against France as his side trailed 2-1 in the final 10 minutes. He had a chance to equalise for a second time from the spot, but blazed his effort over in one of the defining images of his career.

King Kane

King Kane

Kane bounced back in style as in his next international appearance he became England’s all-time record goalscorer. His penalty against European champions Italy was his 54th goal, taking him above Wayne Rooney .

Centurion

Centurion

Kane became a centurion against Finland and marked the occasion by scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory in September 2024. The now Bayern Munich striker was cementing his position as one of England’s all-time greats.

World Cup royalty

World Cup royalty

The striker became England’s record World Cup goalscorer at the 2026 edition, as his six goals saw him overtake Gary Lineker . Three of them ensured his side made it past the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico in crunch knockout games before England lost in the semi-finals.

Harry Kane – the numbers behind his record-breaking England career

Shilton comparison

Shilton comparison

Kane has taken just over 11 and a half years from his debut on March 27, 2015 to reach the 126-cap landmark. Shilton’s 125 caps came over a 20-year period from 1970 to 1990 – making the goalkeeper England’s second-longest serving player behind Sir Stanley Matthews , whose international career spanned 23 years and was interrupted by World War II .

Kane has scored more goals for England than Shilton conceded, 91 to 80, a statistic that reflects well on both players’ careers. Shilton made 80 competitive appearances and played 45 friendlies, compared to just 19 for Kane – though with those fixtures largely having been replaced by the Nations League since its introduction in 2018, Kane’s 27 appearances in that competition account for the difference.

Kane passed Shilton’s totals for appearances in the World Cup and qualifiers during the 2026 campaign. He also became England’s leading World Cup goalscorer, with 14 to Lineker’s 10, and his 18 appearances trail Jordan Pickford’s record by one. He has the most England appearances at the European Championship , 18, and ranks alongside Alan Shearer with a record seven goals.

Goalscoring record

Goalscoring record

A 21-year-old Kane started his debut as he would go on, with a goal moments after coming off the bench against Lithuania . He took 20 caps to reach 10 goals, scored 32 in his first 50 appearances and moved alongside Rooney’s previous national record of 53 with a penalty in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against France .

After missing a second spot-kick which saw England eliminated, he had to wait until a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy in March 2023 – his 81st cap – to break the record outright. Since that point he has 37 goals in a further 44 caps, with 2026 being the third time he has reached double figures in a calendar year after 2019 and 2021. Kane’s 126 caps to date have brought 82 wins, 25 draws and 19 defeats for England , with Kane scoring 77 goals in the wins and 15 across the other 44 fixtures.

He has five international hat-tricks, scoring his first against Panama at the 2018 World Cup . The others came in qualifiers for Euro 2020 against Bulgaria and Montenegro , and at the 2022 World Cup with three goals against Albania and four versus San Marino . Kane’s goals include 26 penalties and his longest scoring run is six games, which he has achieved on three occasions. His longest scoreless run is seven.

Captaincy, team-mates, bosses

Captaincy, team-mates and bosses

Kane has started as England captain 88 times, three behind the record shared by Billy Wright and Bobby Moore . Thomas Tuchel is his fifth international manager, with 81 of his caps coming during Sir Gareth Southgate’s long reign – Roy Hodgson , Sam Allardyce and interim boss Lee Carsley complete the list.

He has played in the same England side as goalkeeper Pickford on 84 occasions. Kyle Walker, Declan Rice and John Stones have each won 70-plus caps alongside Kane .

What they said

What they said

Harry Kane

“It was incredible, just everything was amazing. A big thank you to everyone who organised it here at the FA, with the tifo and presentations. Obviously I knew there was going to be something before the game and it was just a special moment.

“It’s been a crazy few weeks with a lot happening and of course it’s an important moment in our history as a national team, so you have to enjoy these moments. But then once the game started, it was just full focus on that. I’ve said before, these occasions feel much better when you win."

Thomas Tuchel

"It’s so special not just for Harry but for all of us. He has had a very special few weeks and the scary thing is, he is getting better and better, and even more influential. Harry is humble, and he is very aware that everything is a team effort. He is a true leader and a true team player, which makes our number nine very special."

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