Harry Kane to become England men’s most-capped player as he earns 126th cap vs Croatia at Wembley
Harry Kane will make his 126th appearance for England and become the most-capped male player in Three Lions history when England face Croatia in the Nations League at Wembley on Thursday (19:45 GMT), surpassing Peter Shilton's 125 caps. The milestone arrives 11 years after Kane's international debut in 2015.
Kane, now 33, scored 79 seconds into his England debut as a 21-year-old Tottenham striker in a 4-0 Euro 2015 qualifying win over Lithuania at Wembley, prompting then-manager Roy Hodgson to say: "It's great when fairytales come true." He has gone on to appear 36 times for England at major tournaments (World Cup/Euros) — more than anyone else — and won the 2026 Ballon d'Or while playing for Bayern Munich.
Across 125 previous England appearances, Kane has scored 91 goals. The article lists his goals as 58 with his right foot, 15 with his left, 18 headers and three from outside the box, with 26 of those strikes from the penalty spot. In matches he has played, England have recorded 83 wins, 22 draws and 20 losses.
Kane has served under five England managers and was handed the captaincy by Gareth Southgate in 2017; Southgate said he wanted "people with leadership qualities who are respected by the group, and capable of stepping forward at the right moments and handling responsibility." When Kane has started, he has captained the Three Lions 97 times — more than anyone else. As well as Hodgson and current boss Thomas Tuchel, Kane won 81 of his 125 caps under Southgate, played under Lee Carsley when he was interim boss in 2024 and appeared in Sam Allardyce's sole match in charge in 2016.
Tuchel, announcing his England squad last week, said: "He wins the Ballon d'Or, and deservedly so, and in the next game for England he gets the all-time record with 126 matches. Thursday is a deserved occasion to celebrate an extraordinary player." Kane himself said of the landmark: "It's not about me - it's about the team," and added: "I love coming to every England camp, I love playing every game and representing the country in the best way possible."
Kane's rise from a local boy in Chingford to international captain is detailed in the source. He wrote "I want to play football" aged five, practised in Ridgeway Park with his father Patrick and brother Charlie, and played for Sunday league team Ridgeway Rovers, whose former players included David Beckham. Recalling a school memento, Kane said: "He had sent a Real Madrid shirt back to our secondary school." He also sponsored Leyton Orient's shirt in 2020 and said at the time: "I was born and brought up only a couple of miles from Orient's stadium and I'm really happy to have the opportunity to give back to the club that gave me my first professional start. It also gives me a platform to say a big thank you to the many frontline heroes and charities out there who provide care and support during these challenging times." Mind and Haven House Children's Hospice featured on Orient's change shirts as part of that deal.
Team-mate and former England goalkeeper Joe Hart recalled his early impressions: "My reaction when he first came into the England squad was: 'Alright, who is this guy?'" Hart went on to describe Kane's improvement and the frustration of facing him in training: "I adore you, but you are frustrating the life out of me." Hart also commented on Kane's playing intelligence, saying: "He's never particularly relied on pace. It's all about his thought process and his brain and how he calculates the game." The source also notes emotional moments in Kane's England career, including him fighting back tears after missing a penalty in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final defeat by France and singing "Wonderwall" with fans after the win over Croatia at the World Cup — a game Kane called one of his "favourite ever moments" in a Three Lions shirt.
On Kane's evolution, Lothar Matthaus said: "He aged, but he got better too, like red wine," and later added: "He is a good person, a good ambassador, the captain of the English national team playing at a German club." Kane addressed his physical condition directly: "From a physical point of view, I feel great. My numbers are as high as ever, and I've recently reached a new top speed in a game against Borussia Dortmund. I'm going to keep pushing and see what else is possible."
England's players and fans are set to salute Kane when he takes the field at Wembley on Thursday for his 126th cap, with Hart adding: "He is superhuman."
