SaqOn the eve of his historic 100th cap, which surprised us all with England more in the spotlight than on the pitch, Harry Kane played the hits at a press conference held, appropriately, at Tottenham’s training ground.
He spoke of the hunger for victory that comes so easily, given that at 31, a first major trophy remains out of reach. He took another dig at the press and pundits who had questioned his fitness throughout a laborious Euro 2024. He cited Tom Brady, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as familiar idols in the fight for longevity. And where it all began, he recalled the story of how, for a long time, it seemed that would not be the case.
Kane will become the 10th Englishman to play 100 internationals tonight against Finland at Wembley and, given the esteem in which the previous nine were held as young prodigies, probably the least likely so far.
In terms of statistics and rankings, he is likely to surpass them all, ending his career not only as England’s most prolific footballer, but also as the player with the most appearances, even though the international game is changing rapidly.
Wayne Rooney is a clear warning. Kane’s predecessor as captain, striker and record goalscorer was just three weeks after his 29th birthday when he won his 100th cap, but he still finished five short of the 125 of Peter Shilton, who played until he was 40. It is true that Rooney’s precociousness and injury history perhaps meant that an early slowdown in his career was always on the cards.
But one remembers thinking Ashley Cole was just as certain to overtake Shilton when, at the same age as Kane today, he reached 90 caps and remained comfortably the leading left-back in England and the Premier League. Three years later, he retired from international football having added just 17 more caps and was left out of the 2014 World Cup in favour of a teenage Luke Shaw.
It would be surprising, however, if Kane failed to do so: in the unlikely event that he does not miss an international match between now and then, he could even match Shilton in the final (or third-place play-off) of the 2026 World Cup.
The man himself, however, is more concerned with goals and has set himself the target of adding a century to his 100 appearances.
“I thought I had scored 30 goals and then, bam, I went to 50 and 60,” said Kane, who has 66 ahead of tonight’s Nations League game.[100 goals] “It’s definitely possible. I feel like I’m in a good position and those are good goals to try to achieve.”
To achieve that at his England career rate of two goals every three games on average, Kane would have to win 150 caps, which seems unlikely even knowing he will surely want to play until at least the home Euros in 2028. Under Gareth Southgate, however, his 61 goals have come at a healthier ratio of three in four and if that sort of level can be maintained, it could be doable, with a fair wind and some opposition along the way.
But it is Southgate’s departure that has sparked the most intrigue over the rest of Kane’s England career, perhaps his last. The first phase, which began with a goal in the 78th second of his debut and ended with a corner at Euro 2016, saw the forward find his feet in international football, but almost from the start of Southgate’s tenure he was the main man.
It was only in the final weeks of their partnership that the strength of that dynamic waned, with Kane increasingly forced to withdraw as the tournament wore on, notably on the hour mark in the 2-1 defeat to Spain in Berlin. A new manager, without the same loyalty, might have been even more ruthless, dumping the captain early on.
But before going to Germany there was a sense that without a fit Kane England’s chances of success would diminish considerably, and that has ultimately been confirmed. The World Cup is two years away, but at this stage when Kane lifts the bat, for Lee Carsley or whoever comes after him, the same rule seems to apply.
Saq
