Harry Kane is one of the most prolific English strikers of the modern era. He is already the leading goalscorer for England in international soccer, but there are two more prestigious records still within Kane’s grasp, and here we look at the chance of him achieving them.
Landmarks within reach for Kane
First up, Kane leads the way for England in international football. Wayne Rooney was the previous record holder at 53. So when Kane scored his 59th goal for The Three Lions against Scotland in the recent friendly international, he extended his lead over Rooney at the top of England’s all-time scorer list. And with plenty of years left in Kane yet, he is set to stretch that lead even further.
Such is his goal-scoring exploits for England, it is now possible to get +800 on Harry Kane to score 100 or more goals for his country. That is a bet on football that would see Kane reach a considerable landmark.
On the domestic scene, Premier League bets on Kane to break Shearer’s record seem to have been put on hold since the striker left Spurs for Bayern Munich. But Kane was as short as +110 to beat Shearer’s record in March 2022.
After ending the 2022/23 season on 213 all-time Premier League goals, it was all but inevitable that Kane would overtake Shearer’s record of 260 Premier League goals. It was simply a case of staying fit and staying in the Premier League.
Shearer’s record looks safe for now
So after leaving the Premier League, has that record now gone? Kane still needs 48 goals to pass Shearer. His last five years in the Premier League saw him score 30, 17, 23, 18 and 17 times. He scored 47 goals in the last two seasons alone, so it makes sense to say he would need just over two full seasons to beat Shearer’s record.
This suggests that unless Kane (now 30) comes back to England at a big club within the next two years, he is unlikely to break Shearer’s record.
What about the FIFA World Cup record?
This is another interesting borderline question. Gary Lineker currently holds England’s World Cup goal-scoring record with ten goals in 12 matches across the 1986 and 1990 World Cups. Harry Kane sits on eight goals from 11 matches across the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Gary Lineker could claim the morale victory here as he scored two more goals in the same amount of World Cups. But Lineker has played one extra match, and two goals in his twelfth match for Kane would see him equal Lineker on ten goals in 12 World Cup appearances.
The chances are that Kane will make a third World Cup. Good strikers are coming through in England, but no one in Kane’s class. And even though he will be 33 when the next World Cup takes place, the chances are that Kane will still be leading the line for England in 2026.
Will he be as sharp? That is debatable. But if Kane is fit, he should get the chance to break Lineker’s record and become England’s all-time leading goalscorer in World Cups. And who could bet against that happening?
