Harry Kane made his 126th England appearance in the England vs Croatia match at Wembley, moving ahead of Peter Shilton on the men's all-time list. The milestone came on a night when Kane was selected to start against Croatia, and he was already thinking beyond the number.

Kane's record night at Wembley

Kane made his England debut in 2015, and that long run now sits at 126 caps. He is also England's all-time leading goalscorer with 93 goals, so the appearance record arrives with a second landmark already in place.

Speaking to sportsmole.co.uk, Kane said: "I don’t think it will ever leave me." He added: "It’s probably part of what makes me push myself to the limits that I do because in football, you’ve never completed it. No matter what you’ve achieved, there is always a trophy that someone else has won or a goal record that someone else has."

That is the right way to read the night. The record is historic, but Kane's own words made clear he does not see it as the end point.

Why the record did not feel like the end

Kane was even more explicit about the fear behind that drive. "My biggest fear is finishing my career and thinking I could have done a bit more," he said, before adding that he wants to "cross every bridge" and do everything possible so he can "sleep well at night."

The wider point is backed by his form as well. He has scored 10 goals in 15 appearances for Bayern this season and added 10 assists. He also scored six goals in four England matches during the last international break, which is a reminder that the record night came from a player still producing at a high level.

He told sportsmole.co.uk he wants to leave "a good number to catch" in the goal record chase, and he wants the standards he sets now to help younger players coming through.

Morgan Rogers also stepped into the wider England conversation after Chelsea's Cole Palmer came under scrutiny. Rogers said: "He wants to be here." He also called it "a nonsense" to question whether Palmer wants to play for England.

[Thomas Tuchel] answered that part calmly, saying it was "totally fine" for Rogers to make an emotional statement about a teammate. England beat Croatia 2-1 in the match, and Kane's 126th cap is the number that will sit at the centre of the story from Wembley.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →