Harry Kane Reaches New Heights With England Record and Ballon d'Or

Record breaking form for club and country

Harry Kane continues to rewrite the history books. The 33 year old striker will lead England out against Croatia on Thursday. That match will make him the all time appearance record holder for his country. Kane is set to move past Peter Shilton, who held the record with 125 caps for more than three decades. Wayne Rooney finished his international career with 120 caps, David Beckham had 115, Steven Gerrard reached 114, and Ashley Cole collected 107.

Kane already sits at the top of the England scoring charts with 91 goals. Sir Bobby Charlton scored 49 goals, a tally that stood for 45 years until Rooney passed him and reached 53. Kane has captained England more times than anyone else. He led the squad to consecutive European Championship finals and third place at the World Cup, their top result since 1966. He has said he would trade every personal honor for a major trophy with England.

Hard work from London to Munich

The success follows a remarkable two weeks for Kane. He collected his first Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium, close to where he grew up in Chingford and Leytonstone. He also signed a new contract at Bayern Munich through 2029, earning more than 30 million euros per year.

His youth career had plenty of rejection. Arsenal released him at nine years old, with former academy boss Liam Brady calling him a bit chubby. Kane returned to his boyhood club Ridgeway Rovers before joining Tottenham at 11, having scored three goals against Spurs during a trial at Watford. Former Tottenham coach Clive Allen spent hours doing finishing drills with him. Allen noted Kane had an unbelievable appetite for improving and struck the ball cleanly.

Making an impact in Germany

Kane left Tottenham in August 2023 to join Bayern Munich for 120 million euros. Former Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel, who now leads England, said Kane took convincing because moving abroad was a big step out of his comfort zone. Since arriving in Germany, Kane has scored 156 goals in 161 matches. That is higher than any other player across Europe top five leagues in that span.

What it means for the next game

Kane will look to carry his fine scoring form into his next club fixture.

Bayern Munich vs FC Cologne (Bundesliga, Fri, 20 Nov): Bayern Munich win 87%, draw 8%, FC Cologne win 5%; expected goals 3.85 to 0.95. Our safest pick: Over 2.5 goals.