It is one of Harry Kane’s most treasured possessions: the shirt he wore for his England debut. The European Championship qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley; 27 March 2015. The centre-forward’s script writers had been busy that season, the one in which he broke through so suddenly at Tottenham, and they were never going to disappoint.
On as a 71st-minute substitute for Wayne Rooney, Kane took only 79 seconds to score, a far-post header from Raheem Sterling’s cross. The TV cameras cut to Rooney on the bench, smiling broadly and applauding. Afterwards, he would sign Kane’s shirt along with the rest of the team. “Well done mate, 1st of many,” he wrote. Rooney knew that there would be many, many more.
