Kane makes record 126th appearance for England

LONDON, Nov 12 - Harry Kane stepped out onto the Wembley turf to become England's most-capped men's player on Thursday, the 33-year-old captain marking his milestone 126th appearance in a Nations League match against Croatia.

The Bayern Munich forward was handed a commemorative token by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, the previous record holder since 1989 when he surpassed Bobby Moore's 108 caps.

Kane -- the only player featured on the cover of the matchday programme and greeted with a huge roar by the crowd -- showed off the Ballon d'Or trophy he won last month before being given a shirt with "126" on the back by the Prince of Wales.

Croatia captain Luka Modric, who played with Kane at Tottenham Hotspur from 2009-12, presented his friend with a replica of the first football brought to his country by English industrialists in 1880.

The only other recipient of a similar gift was the late Pope Francis at a private audience in 2024.

ROONEY RECORD SURPASSED

Scorer of a record 91 goals for England, 38 more than Wayne Rooney, Kane was described by England manager Thomas Tuchel as the "perfect captain and a leader by example".

Only a handful of active men's internationals have made more appearances for their countries than Kane, whose debut came as a substitute against Lithuania in 2015 when he scored 79 seconds after coming on.

He has played for five England managers, starting with Roy Hodgson, and has set himself a next target of 100 goals. Winning a major team trophy with England remains the biggest dream after they finished third at the 2026 World Cup.

Kane broke Rooney's scoring record in 2023, with a penalty against Italy, and became England's most-capped outfield player with his 121st cap.

"We spoke in the last camp about the 100 goals for England, I think that's another incredible milestone to try and reach as soon as possible," said Kane, who scored 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England last season, earlier in the week.

Only three male players have scored 100 international goals - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina's Lionel Messi and Ali Daei of Iran.

Kane also holds the England record for major tournament appearances with 36, goals at major tournaments (21), major tournament games as captain (32) and goals at Wembley (31).

Shilton, now 77, earned his 125th cap at the 1990 World Cup at the age of 40.

"Really, I couldn't think of anyone better than Harry (to take the record) not only because of his football record but also the type of person that he is. He's been a great professional and has an impeccable CV," Shilton told REUTERS