Harry Kane has named Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice as the two England players who could one day surpass his caps record, but he hopes to build a tally they cannot match. Kane is set to win his 126th cap on Thursday, overtaking Peter Shilton to become England's most-capped player when he leads the team out against Croatia in the Nations League at Wembley.
Kane targets 100 goals after caps milestone
Kane is also England's all-time record scorer with 91 goals. The Ballon d'Or winner says he will set his sights on reaching 100 England goals once he has claimed the caps record. The 77-year-old former goalkeeper Shilton will be involved in a commemoration for Kane before kick-off.
Kane insists it is his nature to "always look forward" and hopes to reach a number of appearances so high that Bellingham, who has 60 caps, and Rice, who has 80, are never able to match him.
Kane challenges young midfielders
"Look at Jude or Dec, for example — they're on 60-odd caps already," Kane said. "And look at how young they are. I will try and give them a good number to catch."
"The goal record is going to be one that is going to be difficult to beat for a while [after me]," he added.
Captaincy record and early leadership
The England captain, who was crowned winner of the Ballon d'Or last month at the age of 33, says he will always feel he has a "point to prove". He added that he feels no need to be a "show off" and that just because he does not have the "ego" of some of the "great players", does not mean he "doesn't want it as much".
Kane also holds the record for England appearances as captain, having overtaken Billy Wright and Bobby Moore, who shared the record for decades with 90 caps as captain each. Kane has earned 75 per cent of his England appearances as skipper.
"That is something I didn't really take in," he said. "I was talking to Michael Olise at Bayern and asking how old he was. He said 23 at the time and I said: 'Jeez, I was [England] captain by then'. I don't think I realised how young I was at the time."
"Because the team was going through a change and there weren't many experienced players left, maybe it helped having a young and consistent captain over that period," Kane concluded.
