Harry Kane equals Peter Shilton's England appearance record in Nations League

Harry Kane equalled Peter Shilton's 36-year-old record as England's most-capped player when he made his 125th appearance for the national team against the Czech Republic in the Nations League on Tuesday. BBC Sport has traced the England captain's development from a childhood goalkeeper into a long‑serving international striker.

The Bayern Munich forward is already England's record scorer, with 89 goals in 124 appearances, and opened his international account 79 seconds into his debut. He may be 33 but remains a key player for club and country.

Kane's youth career began at Ridgeway Rovers in 1999, where coaches initially put him in goal. Dave Bricknell said: "We're doing a little shooting session, and I ask for a lad who can go in goal. "This little boy puts his hand up and says: 'I'll go in goal.' We give him some gloves, and he performs heroics - makes some fantastic saves. He's tipping it round the post, tipping a couple over the bar. "I'm thinking this is great, we've got a goalkeeper. And then this woman came up to me and said he's better on the pitch. "We put him on pitch and he smacked goals in left, right and centre. So he ends up being our centre forward." Kane and his Ridgeway Rovers team-mates' goalscoring exploits were recorded in a notebook.

His early prolific scoring drew professional interest but the path was not straightforward: Arsenal initially signed him but later released him and Watford declined to sign him. Trevor Bailey said: "Harry could have done nothing all game, but if that chance came up it was in the onion bag. "He was always on the move up front. When he got a chance, guaranteed four out of five he was going to score or set someone up." Alex Welsh added: "I first met Harry in the academy and he was a very competent goalkeeper, but his real desire was to score goals. "I am absolutely convinced that is the reason why he is such a clinical striker - he intuitively knows what the goalkeeper doesn't like. He shoots early when the goalkeeper's not set." Bricknell also recalled: "I believe he was second top-scorer at Arsenal behind Benik Afobe, and then for some reason they decided at 11 years of age that they didn't want him anymore."

At school Kane combined sporting ability with dedication. Mark Leadon said: "Aged 11, Harry was technically very gifted, with a great first touch, and a very clever player. He always knew where to go, right from an early stage. "He was also a very good cricketer - he opened the bowling from year seven to 10 and batted at four or five. But he loved football. He was never a prima donna, and he would always put a shift in. "What came through more than anything else was his determination to succeed. That work ethic was clear." Luke Robinson, a childhood friend, said: "The only thing on his mind was football. "We used to have a laugh, a couple of games of Fifa, but he was always driven. He'd always keep himself to himself. "He loved David Beckham, he came in with the Mohican, everyone was laughing but he loved it. He loved football, 24/7, he lived and breathed football."

Tottenham Hotspur offered Kane a route back into elite youth football and he signed scholarship terms with the club on his 16th birthday in July 2009. Alex Inglethorpe said: "When I joined Spurs as under-18 coach, Harry was 13. "I'd like to say he was the gold medallist in the group and we'd all spotted he was going to be the fantastic player, but I'd be lying. He probably wasn't even on the podium. "If there was something that endeared him to you it was that he was very, very low maintenance. It became fairly evident when Harry became a scholar he was someone who could finish. "He was wonderfully demanding to coach because he always wanted to stay out and do extra. That obsession to improve is undoubtedly his greatest strength. "It was probably around 16 he started having an impact on the youth team. We trusted him to come off the bench and have an impact - anywhere from right wing, number 10, centre-forward, sometimes in midfield."

Kane's early senior career featured successive loans to gain experience. He made his professional debut in January 2011 for Leyton Orient at Rochdale, coming on for Scott McGleish, and scored five times in nine starts; McGleish said: "Harry was not like other Premier League players, where you feel they're going to come in 'Billy Big Time'. He wanted the experience of learning what I call men's football. "From the word go he was ready to fight for his place. In training, he was willing to just knuckle down and work hard. "You could see in training and subsequently the matches he had ability and a desire to go further, but you're still looking like a young 17-year-old: very slight, still needing to physically develop, not the quickest but technically excellent." A January 2012 loan to Millwall yielded nine goals that helped Kenny Jackett's side avoid relegation; Alan Dunne said: "I've seen a lot of players come to the Den and freeze, because within five minutes they're being called names they've never heard before and they can't cope with that pressure. "But it didn't faze him - he was a focused lad, he was confident in his ability." Tim Sherwood recalled watching him at Millwall and hearing a scout say: "We need to get Harry Kane out of Millwall, it's no good for him there." Sherwood added: "I went straight in and said: 'This is the perfect atmosphere for him.'" Kane made his Premier League debut for Tottenham in August 2012 and spent further loan periods at Norwich and Leicester before establishing himself at Spurs.

Kane's breakthrough followed a full 2013-14 season with Tottenham and a first Premier League start in April under Sherwood, when he scored against Sunderland and then in successive games versus West Brom and Fulham. Sherwood said: "It didn't feel a gamble at all to give Harry that start. It was almost overdue to be honest. "Roberto Soldado was in front of him in the team, and nobody wanted Roberto to do well more than me - but every single day in training Harry was outperforming him. He didn't let me down. "Harry wanted to get to the top, and nothing was going to stop him achieving that because of the ability, desire and mentality he possesses. "I was the biggest believer Harry Kane ever had, because I used to think he was a mix between Teddy Sheringham and Alan Shearer." Kane became Spurs' all-time top scorer on 5 February 2023, passing Jimmy Greaves' old mark of 266, later finishing his Tottenham career with 280 goals in 435 appearances and three Premier League Golden Boots but no trophies. In 2023 he joined Bayern Munich, where he has scored 152 goals in 154 games, won the Bundesliga Golden Boot three times and won two German titles and a German Cup; "Harry Kane won the German double this season." Pep Guardiola said: "What an exceptional player – the numbers and, more than the goals, the quality. Harry Kane remains one of the best strikers I have ever seen in my life." Son Heung-min said: "Leader, brother, legend." Ange Postecoglou said: "Harry was brilliant throughout. You want to work with the best players and he is a hell of a striker and I thought he could help me. "He has left an indelible mark at this football club, will go down as one of the greats." Lothaur Matthaus said: "Kane has reinvented the centre-forward game, as Manuel Neuer did with goalkeepers. "I don't see a better striker in the world right now. Not just because of his goals, but because of his versatility and the positions he plays. "Kane also demonstrates qualities as a passer, dribbler, and tackler. He is simultaneously a goalscorer, playmaker, box-to-box player, and tackler."

He has played in all four of England's Nations League games during this international break. Some of the interviews quoted in this profile were first published in 2016.