Harry Kane celebrates record of 125 matches with England

Harry Kane matched this Tuesday the record of 125 caps set by Peter Shilton and celebrated the achievement with a brace against the Czech Republic, leaving England with nine points in the Nations League. The photo, credited to Matthew Childs of Reuters, includes AI‑generated audio.

Match details

The first goal came after an own goal by Vladimir Coufal, following a cross from Kane that ended up in the Czech net. Kane scored two more times, first after a combination of Eliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers and then by finishing a corner from Lewis Hall. The final score was 3‑0 in favour of England.

With the win, the Three Lions have nine points, three behind Spain, who top the group with twelve points. England have not conceded any goal in the three matches and have scored twelve, while the Czech Republic finished the group without points.

Records and awards

After the brace, Kane reached 91 goals for the national team, although another report indicates he had 89 in 124 matches before the game. Wayne Rooney occupies the second spot with 53 goals. Kane, 33, is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, which will be presented in London in two weeks.

Kane equals Shilton caps record as England eye Nations League quarters

On this matchday, England rotated several starters; Anthony Gordon was left on the bench and Jude Bellingham retained the role of leader in midfield. Trent Alexander‑Arnold earned his second start and contributed to the attack. The referee Serdar Gözübüyük, from the Netherlands, showed yellow cards to Lewis‑Skelly, Sadilek and Vitik.

Harry Kane's early years

Harry Kane began as a goalkeeper at Ridgeway Rovers at six years old, before being converted into a striker. Dave Bricknell recalled: "We were doing a small shooting session and I asked a boy to go in goal. This kid raised his hand and said: 'I'll go in goal'. We gave him gloves and he made fantastic saves… then a woman came and said he was better on the pitch. We put him on the field and he scored goals left and right, ending up as our centre‑forward."

Trevor Bailey commented: "Harry might not have done anything throughout the game, but if an opportunity arose, he was in the onion bag. He was always moving and, when he had the chance, four out of five times he scored or assisted." Alex Welsh added: "I met him at the academy and he was a competent goalkeeper, but his true desire was to score goals. I am convinced that passion makes him such a clinical striker."

Kane joins Shilton with 125 caps for England

Mark Leadon, his physical‑education teacher, said: "At 11, Harry was technically very gifted, with a great first touch and a great footballing intelligence. He was also a good cricketer, but football was his passion and he was never a prima donna; he always worked hard." Luke Robinson, a childhood friend, recalled: "All he could think about was football. He loved David Beckham, wore a mohawk and lived and breathed football 24/7." Alex Inglethorpe, former Tottenham youth coach, concluded: "When I saw him at 13, he was very low‑maintenance and always wanted to train more. That obsession with improving remains his greatest strength."