Ballon d’Or, England caps record hasn’t sunk in yet, says Harry Kane

England's Harry Kane holds the Ballon d'Or trophy ahead of the UEFA Nations League match against Croatia at Wembley. | Photo Credit: AP

Harry Kane pledged he would play for England “for as long as I can” after winning a record 126th cap against Croatia on Thursday.

The England captain scored from the penalty spot as Thomas Tuchel’s team won 2-1 at Wembley to guarantee a spot in the Nations League quarterfinals in March.

The 33-year-old, who won the Ballon d’Or last month, moved clear of former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who won 125 caps during his long career.

Shilton was part of a pre-match presentation to honour the Three Lions captain, along with Football Association patron Prince William.

A giant banner was raised before kick-off with a picture of Kane and the words “England’s Finest”.

The skipper, who showed off his Ballon d’Or trophy to the Wembley crowd before the match, described the occasion as “incredible”.

“I was trying to play it cool, I was trying to not smile too much, not give away too much emotion,” he said. “Obviously I try to stay focused on the job.”

Kane added: “I don’t know if any of this has sunk in, to be honest with you, maybe in the winter break when I’ve got a couple of weeks off.

“I’ll be on the beach somewhere and we’ll try and reflect on everything that I’ve achieved, because these ones are probably the biggest in my career, without a doubt.”

The Bayern Munich forward said he was inspired by the example set by Croatia veteran Luka Modric, 41, who came on as a late substitute at Wembley.

“That inspires me to push the limits,” he said. “Like with him, I think you just keep going to see how far your body takes you, your mentality takes you.

“Everyone’s journey is different, for sure, but... as long as I feel like I can help the national team, as long as I feel like I’m performing at the highest level, then I’ll be here for as long as I can.

“Whether that’s until I’m 40 or not, we’ll have to wait and see, but right now, yeah, I’m enjoying every moment.”