"He is the best finisher I have ever worked with. Of all the great finishers I have been with, Cristiano and all those players," Anthony Barry told A Bola, in comments translated from Portuguese. That praise landed as Harry Kane heads into his next England appearance on 124 caps, one short of Peter Shilton's all-time record of 125. The milestone is obvious, but the more revealing part is how England's staff now talk about him.
Praise from inside England's camp
Barry's comments were not limited to finishing. In the same interview, again in comments translated from Portuguese, he said: "They say he is phenomenal, but I would say it is simply normal for Harry. What you see in the warm-up, the repetition of the shot, the clarity, it is simply a level I have never experienced. With both feet,"
That is a strong claim from a coach who has worked at the elite end of the game, and it lines up with Kane's international output. He has 89 goals in 124 appearances for England already, so the discussion around him is not being carried by reputation alone.
Barry also pushed the case beyond technique. Speaking about Kane's place in the dressing room, he said: "I have the privilege of coaching him at the club and now with the national team. I see an even better version of him here, among his English teammates and in an English environment. He is a role model on and off the pitch, including for my eldest son. He is so intelligent. Whether they ask him to execute a game plan or to drop back and do the dirty work, he does everything. For a player of such high profile, to have so little maintenance, such a small ego and to continue performing at the highest level consistently, we should all enjoy it while he is in this form!"
That description fits the way England are presenting him now. Barry said Kane has "clearly evolved" as a captain and called him a bridge between the players, himself and Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel's own line to A Bola, also translated from Portuguese, was brief but familiar: "Everything he does, he does at the highest level."
The numbers behind the argument
The caps record is the immediate marker. Kane is set to equal Shilton on 125, and he gets there having already settled another debate more convincingly than most England greats ever manage. He is the national side's record scorer with 89 goals, 36 more than Wayne Rooney's 53.
There is also a nice detail in how long this has been building. Kane opened his England account 79 seconds into his debut, and he has barely stopped since. He has scored 21 goals in 36 appearances across six major tournaments, which leaves him as England's top scorer in major tournaments as well as their overall leading marksman.
His form this year keeps the case current rather than nostalgic. Kane has 11 England goals in 2026, and the BBC reported that his latest double took him to that figure in 12 games. He has also scored in six consecutive England away games, another sign that his output is not tied to one stage or one opponent.
That still does not settle the bigger argument on its own. Kane as England's greatest goalscorer is much easier to state than Kane as England's greatest player. Danny Murphy made that distinction clearly on the BBC when he said: "There is one thing there is no debate about. Harry Kane is England's greatest goal scorer.
Is he England's greatest player? This is all about opinions and eras, but his record and longevity alone informs you that he is an England great. He is in that elite group."
The all-time question is still era-dependent
That is where the old names keep returning. Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton still sit at the heart of any England hierarchy because of what they represented, not just what they produced. Paul Robinson's point on the BBC was that modern players often get judged against a version of the past that is easier to romanticise.
He said: "Harry Kane is an England great. There is no argument. He will always be part of that conversation now.
I think we are guilty in the modern era of underestimating what we've got in front of us. We are quite happy to look through rose-tinted spectacles at what we had in the past.
We will talk about Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton, but football now is a completely different game. The life of a footballer is completely different and it's almost like they are playing a different game.
What Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton achieved, nobody in an England shirt has done since. You respect what they did in the era, and the status and legacy that comes with winning the World Cup and everything else they did, but we must also say it is a different game now."
That feels like the fairest way to read Kane's place. Calling him England's greatest player still depends on how much weight you give to tournament wins, era and memory. Calling him one of England's greatest no longer needs much debate at all, especially with 124 caps, 89 goals and another record now directly in front of him.
His next England appearance would take him level with Shilton on 125 caps.
FAQ
Will Harry Kane break Peter Shilton's England caps record?
Harry Kane has 124 England caps and is set to equal Peter Shilton's all-time England appearance record of 125. The current verified count is 124, so he has not matched it yet. The immediate milestone is drawing level with Shilton, while the wider debate is now about where Kane ranks among England's greatest players.
Why are Anthony Barry and Thomas Tuchel praising Harry Kane so highly?
Anthony Barry described Kane as the best finisher he has ever worked with and pointed to his repetition, clarity and finishing with both feet. Thomas Tuchel's praise was broader, saying everything Kane does is at the highest level. Their view from inside the England camp has pushed the discussion beyond the caps milestone and toward Kane's all-round status.
Is Harry Kane already England's greatest player or just their greatest goalscorer?
There is stronger agreement on the goalscoring point than on the wider all-time ranking. Kane already has 89 goals in 124 England appearances and sits 36 clear of Wayne Rooney. Whether that makes him England's greatest player is still an opinion shaped by era, trophies and memory, especially when Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton remain the historic reference points.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
