Peter Shilton is ready to hand over the England appearance record, and Harry Kane is set to overtake him at the 20:45 kick-off at Wembley against Croatia. Kane will become England's sole record appearance holder with 126 international appearances, with Shilton signalling that he may go onto the pitch to present something to him.

Shilton's handover and Tuchel's praise

The tone around the milestone has been warm rather than awkward. Shilton said, translated from German by SPORT1, "Records are there to be broken," and added, "Honestly, I could not imagine anyone better than Harry, not only because of his record as a footballer, but also because of the person he is."

Thomas Tuchel was just as effusive. Speaking to SPORT1, the England manager said, "He is unique at the moment. The performances he is delivering are incredible," and went on to say Kane is "deservedly winning the Ballon d'Or" and will become the record player in his next international match for England.

That claim is one of the more striking lines in the build-up, but the verifiable point is simpler. Kane already has 91 England goals, so this is a cap milestone for a player who has long been producing at an elite level for his country.

The record comes with the usual Kane numbers

There is plenty in Kane's current output to back up the sense that this is a peak stretch rather than a ceremonial moment. He has 6 goals in 4 Nations League appearances this season, and his 8.62 rating in that competition is his best mark in the supplied data.

At club level, Kane has 156 goals in 162 matches for Bayern München and his deal runs until 2029. He has 4 Bundesliga goals in 9 appearances this season, with 8 league goal contributions in total, so the scoring has not dried up as the England record approaches.

Kane's own line on the wider individual attention was also telling. Speaking to SPORT1, he said he wants "to get back to work, talking less and playing more," and added that in five years he would like to have won the Champions League once with Bayern and a title with England.

The cap record belongs to Shilton until Wembley, but the handover is already being treated as a fitting one. England face Croatia at 20:45, and Kane is the man due to take the record with 126 appearances.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →