Only nine players have had the honour of earning 100 caps for England but there is about to be a new name added to the list.
Harry Kane – the nation’s all-time top goalscorer – is in line to start against Finland in the UEFA Nations League – and will mark the occasion by wearing gold boots.
The 31-year-old will also be presented with a golden cap as he officially joins a list of elite players that will forever have their names etched in the history books.
Kane has been a brilliant servant since making his debut back in 2015, but will he leave a bigger England legacy than the others who sit beside him on the 100-cap list?
Read on as we explore where the former Tottenham striker ranks among the other centurions.
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Who are England’s centurions?
Nine players have reached 100 caps before Kane and the first man to do it was Billy Wright in 1959.
11 years later, Bobby Charlton scored in a 3-1 win against Northern Ireland to mark his 100th appearance for England.
Three years later he was joined by Bobby Moore and in 1988, Peter Shilton – England’s most-capped player – hit the milestone at 38 years old, the oldest player to do so.
Since the turn of the century, five others have joined the list.
David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney all have over 100 caps for England and are soon to be joined by one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers in recent years.
Ready for his 💯th cap!
Harry Kane is set to start against Finland at Wembley Stadium tomorrow night in his 100th #ThreeLions appearance 🏴❤️
— England (@England) September 9, 2024
Full list of 100+ caps for England
Peter Shilton – 125
Wayne Rooney – 120
David Beckham – 115
Steven Gerrard – 114
Bobby Moore – 108
Ashley Cole – 107
Bobby Charlton – 106
Frank Lampard – 106
Billy Wright – 105
Can Kane become England’s most-capped player?
Kane had no problem chasing down Rooney’s goals record, so there is no reason why the bagsman cannot prolong his career in an effort to become England’s most-capped player.
Rooney managed 53 goals in 120 appearances for the Three Lions and Kane is already out of sight with 66 in 99 appearances.
He may be 31, but there is no doubt that the England skipper still has years left in his career.
Interim coach Lee Carsley may be looking to integrate youth into his team, but Kane has remained the focal point in attack and will surely continue on as the nation’s captain and striker until the 2026 World Cup at the earliest.
Perfect start to our Nations League campaign away from home 🙌 pic.twitter.com/hXdFkfVoZR
— Harry Kane (@HKane) September 7, 2024
Ollie Watkins had a good few spells at Euro 2024 but he does not offer the quality on the ball that Kane has.
The same can be said of Ivan Toney, who recently moved to the Saudi Pro League and was omitted from the recent international squad.
In his first season at Bayern Munich, Kane scored 44 goals in 45 matches, proving that age is just a number for someone of his quality.
And as someone who does not rely on pace to punish the opposition, it would appear more than likely that Kane will turn out at least another 25 times for England before he calls it quits.
Where does Kane rank?
Kane is undoubtedly one of England’s greatest-ever players.
But ultimately, success in the game is measured through silverware, and only a handful of Lions have managed to get their hands on an international trophy.
England men’s top goal scorer 2023/24 award! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/CIDz5P2zft
— Harry Kane (@HKane) September 6, 2024
Until that happens, it is unlikely that Kane will be lauded as THE greatest to ever pull on the shirt.
Many will debate whether he ranks above the likes of Rooney, Jimmy Greaves or Gordon Banks but there are probably two players he cannot sit above just yet.
Moore and Charlton were both part of the team that won the World Cup in 1966, and no England side have ever been able to replicate their achievement since.
But it would not be unfair to slot Kane in just below them at No.3.
As captain of England’s most successful squad in the modern era, it seems there is just one step missing to immortalise his name across the nation.
Is he the man to end the hunt for silverware?
Kane could be described as the greatest player to never win a trophy.
He is Tottenham and England’s all-time top goalscorer but has a number of runners-up medals in his cabinet.
That includes two Euro finals, a Champions League final and a couple of close title runs with his respective clubs.
And after the disappointment of Euro 2024, Kane is more determined than ever to win the 2026 World Cup.
Very proud to have won the Bundesliga, Champions League and Euro 2024 golden boots last season as well as the 2023/24 European Golden Shoe award.
I got presented with the Bundesliga trophy at yesterday’s game where we continued our great start to the new season and I’m very… pic.twitter.com/H61KqfAqLH
— Harry Kane (@HKane) September 2, 2024
He said: “It’s tough whenever you get so close to reaching one of the pinnacles of your career and it’s taken away.
“It makes me even more motivated. It puts the fire in the belly to try and get there. Our task is to get better.”
“I think when you look at players like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Luka] Modric and [Lionel] Messi, all these players who are playing in their mid to late 30s, that’s the inspiration for me because it shows that you can really play at a high level for a long time.
“I want to play football for as long as possible and at the highest level for as long as possible.
“I use those players for motivation and inspiration to be able to do that.
“I feel I am in a really good place both mentally and physically to have another great season, hopefully that continues for many years to come.”
The World Cup may be Kane’s last chance to win silverware with England and he will be desperate to maintain his levels until then.
