Harry Kane has become England’s all-time record goalscorer, with his first-half penalty against Italy bringing his total to 54.
The Tottenham striker equalled Wayne Rooney during the World Cup quarter final in Qatar when he fired home a penalty vs France. He was then given the chance to eclipse Rooney with another spot kick, but blasted it over as the Three Lions agonisingly lost 2-1.
Kane said the miss against Les Bleus would haunt him for the rest of his life and admitted he was desperate to play another game as soon as possible. And while he has been able to channel his frustration playing with Spurs, he has been made to wait for another chance with England.
The Euro 2024 qualifier in Naples marked England’s first game since the defeat to France and Kane kicked off the qualification process with his record-breaking goal. Number 54 came in the perfect fashion as well, firing home from 12 yards to put England 2-0 up.
It’s the second record in the space of six weeks for Kane, who at the start of February became Tottenham’s top scorer in their history. The 29-year-old took over Jimmy Greaves at the start of February, when he registered his 267th goal for his boyhood club.
And his reputation as one of the greatest English goalscorers of the modern era is now secured with his international legacy cemented. Kane made his debut in March 2015, replacing Rooney in a European championship qualifier vs Lithuania.
It took just 80 seconds for him to get off the mark, with Rooney, who claimed the record himself in 2015, predicting it would be the young Tottenham star to eventually succeed him.
"It [the record] wasn’t something I was thinking about, but I was lucky enough to be playing when Wayne broke the record and I saw how much it meant to him," Kane said during the tournament in Qatar. "After he broke it, a few months later he asked me to present a trophy to him.
"He wanted me to do it because he thought I would go on to break it. He gave me that praise and to hear that from someone like him, someone that I’ve looked up to my whole life.
He added: "When he said that and I went on a good run of scoring goals, I thought, 'Okay, maybe this is something I can achieve'. The years go by so quickly and the games come and go, so to be around now is something I don’t take for granted."
Bobby Charlton’s record had stood for almost 50 years before Rooney took the mantle in a qualifier vs Switzerland, only for his to last less than a decade. Kane’s record is even more impressive considering his 54 goals have come in 81 games, compared to Rooney’s in 120.
Kane, missed penalty vs France aside, has also been prolific when it matters most, scoring 12 goals in 22 major tournament matches. He won the Golden Boot in his first World Cup in 2018, before scoring another couple last winter.
Speaking before the game with Italy, England boss Gareth Southgate was adamant that Kane had put the disappointment of Qatar behind him and correctly predicted the critics would give him extra motivation.
"We have seen in his performances for his club he has put it behind him,” Southgate said. "I know he will have added motivation tomorrow night to come back and show everyone what he is about again in an England shirt."
And while Rooney’s record lasted just eight years, Kane could be set for a longer stint at the top. Raheem Sterling is the closest active player on the list, but is a long way back on 20 international goals.
Kane's goal came at the end of a near perfect opening 45 minutes to their Euro 2024 qualification process. Italy went into the game with a formidable home record in qualifying, but the Three Lions quickly established their dominance, with Declan Rice putting the visitors in front, before England's record breaker made it two from the spot after a handball in the box/
