In Thursday’s 2-1 victory over Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifying match, Harry Kane scored his 54th goal in international play, becoming England’s all-time top scorer.
The Tottenham forward scored a penalty shortly before halftime to give the visitors a 2-0 lead in Naples, erasing memories of his key penalty miss in the Three Lions’ World Cup quarterfinal loss to France in December.
Kane told Channel 4: “That had to be a penalty, and when it went in, there was a lot of emotion.” “A moment of magic.”
The England captain surpassed Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 goals for the Three Lions in his 81st international outing.
Rooney tweeted, “I knew it wouldn’t take long but that was fast.” “Fantastic guy, incredible goal scorer, and legend of England. Bravo, Harry.
Kane also broke Jimmy Greaves’ old mark of 266 goals in February to become Tottenham’s most scorer.
It’s fantastic to be a part of it. After England’s first victory against Italy on the road since 1961, Kane continued, “I just want to offer a huge thanks to all my colleagues, the staff, the supporters, my family back home, and my wife.
I had an extremely memorable night that I will never forget. Simply said, I’m quite proud.
The 29-year-old defeated Lithuania at Wembley in March 2015 and scored his first goal in senior international play only seconds after making his debut.
Prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was selected as Gareth Southgate’s captain, and he guided his nation to the semifinals while winning the Golden Boot for the tournament with six goals in Russia.
In Euro 2020, England reached its first major final since 1966 thanks to four more goals.
With two goals in the 2022 World Cup, Kane surpassed Gary Lineker to become England’s all-time leading scorer at major competitions with 12.
A career filled with individual achievements, however, nonetheless lacks overall success.
Kane is still without a significant club or national team prize.
Along with the missed opportunities for England, he also lost when Tottenham advanced to their first-ever Champions League final in 2019, falling 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid.
With little over a year remaining on his contract and interest from both Manchester United and Bayern Munich, his future at the club level is once again a subject of discussion.
