Photo: Collected
Dhaka, 11 November 2026 (BSS): Captain Harry Kane is one match away from making the record for most international appearances for England his own outright. As soon as he takes the field against Croatia in the Nations League tomorrow (Thursday), the star striker will write new history for the Three Lions.
Leading the team out at Wembley will be Kane’s 126th international match. With it, he will move past the record held by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton since 1990.
The last 12 months have been full of brilliant success for the Bayern Munich striker. Last October, he won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first English footballer to do so in 25 years. The 33-year-old Kane is set to make his dream year even more colourful with another memorable achievement.
Making the record for most England appearances his own outright will be another big achievement of this year. At the same time, it is also recognition of his extraordinary consistency and ability to keep playing at the top level for a long time.
Kane also holds the England record for most goals, 91. He is also Tottenham’s all-time top scorer with 280 goals.
After leaving his boyhood club Tottenham for Bayern in 2023, Kane has taken his game to unique heights. He has scored 156 goals for the German club so far. He also got the taste of his first major trophies of his career by winning the Bundesliga in 2025 and 2026.
Kane has also matured further as a leader. After the defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final last July, reports said he had directly expressed dissatisfaction with England coach Thomas Tuchel’s defensive tactics.
In that match, Tuchel kept more players in defence to hold on to a 1-0 lead. But Argentina took advantage of that late on, scoring twice to win. Kane’s dream of playing in a World Cup final for the first time remained unfulfilled.
Before the September international break, Kane led the team in tactical discussions with Tuchel, putting forward his views forcefully there.
Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah is Kane’s England teammate and also his opponent in the Bundesliga. So he has special respect for the striker.
Kane is the first Bundesliga player to win the Ballon d’Or since Matthias Sammer in 1996. Quansah told the BBC, ‘Honestly, the whole Bundesliga is really happy. No player from here had won this award for a long time. Everyone has received him very well and everyone has an idea of his ability.’
He added, ‘Playing against him is scary. No one wants to face him. There is a chance of him scoring almost every week. Everyone knows about his ability. He has also had a pretty good reception from supporters of different teams, which is always nice.’
Kane made his international debut in 2015 against Lithuania. Coming on as a substitute, he scored in just 79 seconds. Since that start, the striker has kept leaving his mark for the national team.
Kane dreams of winning an international title as England’s first men’s captain. No English captain has lifted an international trophy since Bobby Moore in 1966.
However, he has already tasted the disappointment of losing the European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024.
Beyond the dream of a title, Kane’s conduct and style of leadership with his teammates have impressed Quansah. He has no doubt about Kane’s place as an England legend.
In Quansah’s words, ‘He is a true professional. He has done everything. The standard he has set off the pitch too is what matters.’
He said, ‘He is the first to arrive at team meetings. He waits for everyone in the team to gather. He never lets teammates do anything alone. All in all, he is a truly great captain.’
By the numbers
According to an Al Jazeera report of 6 October 2026, Kane drew level with Shilton by playing his 125th match that day in a 3-0 Nations League win over the Czech Republic at Wembley; scoring twice, he took his international goal tally to 91. The same report said England had earlier beaten Croatia 7-0 in this Nations League campaign.
Sources
Background sources: Al Jazeera, 6 October 2026
