Harry Kane eyes century of England goals as he prepares to win his 100th cap

Harry Kane has set his sights on notching 100 international goals as he prepares to become just the 10th male England player to reach a century of caps against Finland.

The 31-year-old’s tally currently stands at 66 since netting on his debut as a substitute against Lithuania in 2015, while he has been the country’s all-time leading goalscorer since overtaking Wayne Rooney’s previous record of 53 in March last year.

Despite England reaching the final of Euro 2024 during the summer, the Bayern Munich striker was criticised for his overall play as he failed to find the kind of form that saw him score 44 times in his debut season with the Bundesliga side.

Asked whether he would be following up his landmark appearance by targeting a century of goals for his country, he said: “Yeah. What is it, 34 goals (to go)?

“One hundred caps have come round so quick, especially the last few years playing three major tournaments in such a short space of time. In those years I’ve done around 15, 16, 17 caps a year whereas a normal year would be 10.

“The goals were similar. I felt I was on 30 goals and then I went to 50 and then 60. It is definitely there and definitely possible. I feel like I am in a good place and these are good targets to try to reach.

“Some people may see them as unrealistic but I would rather go for something unrealistic and not quite make it rather than be comfortable just saying I will be happy with 70 or 80 goals.”

Kane averaged almost a goal a game for Bayern last season, while his England record is slightly above one goal in two.

He acknowledged that the strike-rate of the world’s top goal-scorers has risen significantly in recent years, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at their peak regularly scoring more goals in LaLiga than the number of matches they had played.

That trend has since been observed in the Premier League, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scoring 36 goals in 35 games during his debut season in England.

“It (one in two) probably was good back then but nowadays the bar has shifted a little bit,” said Kane. “When you see even my numbers last year and Haaland, Ronaldo, Messi, the standard is getting higher than that.

“One in two is not a bad record, don’t get me wrong, but maybe we have all set the standards and expect more from ourselves.

“My England record is a bit better than that and I hope to maintain that for as many caps as I have.”

Kane, who is set to be awarded a gold cap on the Wembley pitch ahead of kick-off against Finland, will become the first player to reach 100 appearances since Rooney achieved the feat in November 2014.

“To consistently play at a high level is really difficult,” he said. “That’s why I have so much respect for Ronaldo, Messi and these players.

“To be able to do it for 15 years or 20 years is some mindset and some achievement. For now, 100 caps, that’s part of the reason I am really proud.

“As an England number nine you come up against some good competition, some of the best strikers in England trying to take your place.”

Published: 10/09/2024 by Radio NewsHub