125 and counting: Kane equals Shilton’s record for most England appearances

Kane ‌has become one of the defining figures of ​the national team, breaking Wayne Rooney’s scoring record and surpassing him as England’s ⁠most-capped outfield player at the World Cup earlier this year. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Captain Harry Kane matched Peter Shilton’s England men’s record of 125 appearances when ​he led the side against the Czechia in ‌the Nations League at Wembley on Tuesday.

The ​latest milestone came at the stadium ⁠where Kane’s England journey began more than 11 years ago.

The Bayern Munich striker, already his country’s all-time leading scorer ‌with 89 goals, made an instant impact on his 2015 debut when he came ‌off the bench against Lithuania in a ‌European ⁠Championship qualifier and scored 79 seconds later.

“I ⁠think it’s always special, even just walking out now and seeing the stadium, just the excitement of what’s to come,” Kane ​told ITV on ‌Tuesday. “I try and never take it for granted. It’s obviously a special night tonight, but as always, we’ve got to focus on the job.”

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Kane ‌has become one of the defining figures of ​the national team, breaking Wayne Rooney’s scoring record and surpassing him as England’s ⁠most-capped outfield player at the World Cup earlier this year.

The 33-year-old also broke Gary Lineker’s England men’s ‌World Cup scoring record this past summer, drawing level on 10 with a double against Croatia, then moving clear with a goal against Panama. By the end of the tournament, Kane had extended the record to 14 World Cup goals.

Shilton, ‌whose cap record has stood since 1990, posted a congratulatory ​message on X.

“You will go on and beat (the record) in November, I’m sure of ⁠that, and maybe go on and set a record ⁠that will never be beaten,” he said in a video. “Because you’re still going strong, Harry, ‌still playing well and scoring goals, and I know how much dedication and hard work ​you’ve actually put into achieving this.”