Ibrahim Oladamola
Harry Kane became England’s all-time top scorer with his 54th goal for his country in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.
Kane, 29, equalled Wayne Rooney’s record with a goal in their World Cup quarter-final defeat by France – and missed a penalty that would have given him the record outright.
His first-half goal made it 2-0.
Kane is now the record goalscorer for both England and club side Tottenham.
Kane has achieved the record at a sensational rate, his 54 goals coming in just 81 appearances.
He now leads a group of six Englishmen to have scored more than 40 international goals. Of those, only Jimmy Greaves scored his at a faster rate – one every 1.3 games, compared with Kane’s 1.5.
Sir Bobby Charlton, with 49 goals, held the record for 45 years until he was surpassed by Rooney in 2015.
| England’s 40-plus goals club | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Goals | Games |
| Harry Kane (2015-present) | 54 | 81 |
| Wayne Rooney (2003-2018) | 53 | 120 |
| Bobby Charlton (1958-1970) | 49 | 106 |
| Gary Lineker (1984-1992) | 48 | 80 |
| Jimmy Greaves (1959-1967) | 44 | 57 |
| Michael Owen (1998-2008) | 40 | 89 |
Kane’s record haul includes six at the World Cup in Russia in 2018, making him only the third Englishman to win a Golden Boot at a major tournament, along with Gary Lineker at the 1986 World Cup and Alan Shearer at the European Championship in 1996.
He has also broken a number of other England records, including scoring 16 goals for his country in a calendar year in 2021.
Kane still has some way to go if he is to challenge the global record for men’s international goals held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 118 goals in 197 Portugal appearances.
His 204 league goals for Spurs means he is third in the list of Premier League all-time scorers, 56 behind record-holder Shearer.
