Talismanic striker Harry Kane returned to the scoresheet after a six-game goalless run against Albania on Sunday, moving to a ridiculous 33 goals in 52 international appearances for England.
Wednesday evening’s Group I clash between England and Poland was billed as the meeting of the two best strikers in the world in Kane and Robert Lewandowski, but an unfortunate knee injury for the Pole has robbed us of the chance to see the two face off on the international stage.
In the prime of his career at 27 years of age, Kane needs just 20 more to equal Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 goals for the Three Lions. But how likely is Harry Kane to break the record?
It’d take a bold man to bet against it. Though Rooney had scored three more by Kane’s current age, he had also made 31 more appearances. Much like Michael Owen, Rooney burst onto the international scene young and scored a bagful of goals, but did not maintain his level into his 30s.
Harry Kane was a comparatively senior figure by the time he won his first cap in 2015 at the age of 21 and has been relentless in front of goal for club and country since. His 12 goals were the highest of any player in qualifying for Euro 2020, with Kane rising to a new level since the 2018 World Cup.
Staggeringly, only five of Kane’s international goals to date have come in friendlies (and three of those were against France and Germany), highlighting his presence on the important occasions. There is little to suggest his scoring record will slow down – virtually assured of appearing in important matches when fit, Kane has maintained league-leading numbers in the Premier League despite failing to score an international goal in 2020.
Could injury be the only thing standing in his way of breaking the record? Perhaps – his ankles have buckled with alarming regularity over the last three seasons. But if he continues scoring at the same rate as his England career as a whole so far, Harry Kane will equal the record in just 84 caps.
Currently averaging eight international appearances every year over his career, Kane is on course to reach that appearance milestone within four years. Perhaps even more encouragingly, Kane’s game has never been built around pace, suggesting the Englishman may even be able to continue deep into his 30s. This is further reflected in his estimated market value of £108 million.
The record is there to be broken. Go on Harry!
