Harry Kane is set to make even more England history tonight, with the Ballon d’Or winner just one appearance away from overtaking Peter Shilton as his country’s most-capped men’s footballer of all time.
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winner → set → time
Already the Three Lions’ record goalscorer with 91, Kane will reach 126 caps in the span of 11 years if he is selected by Thomas Tuchel to face Croatia in the Nations League at Wembley on Thursday night.
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he → reach → night
Then aged 21, Kane had already grabbed 26 goals in 42 appearances for Spurs by March.
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Kane → grab → March
Ahead of a record night at Wembley, Standard Sport looks at England’s starting lineup when Kane made his England debut.
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Kane → look → debut
Long-serving goalkeeper Joe Hart started against Lithuania, as to be expected during what was a period of relative stability between the sticks.
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what → serve → sticks
Understudies on the night included Jack Butland and Robert Green, but Hart was established as number one until 2017 - when the emergence of Jordan Pickford prevented him from earning more than 75 caps.
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emergence → include → caps
Nathaniel Clyne was never first-choice at right-back for Hodgson, with his 14 caps coming across a two-year period.
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caps → come → period
He managed to outlast Hodgson, but only picked up one more cap under Gareth Southgate.
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He → manage → Southgate
Currently without a club after his second stint at Crystal Palace ended in the summer.
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stint → end → summer
Gary Cahill
Ended his career at Bournemouth and retired in 2022.
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Cahill → end → 2022
Hodgson liked to include Jones in his team when fit, but he only made 27 appearances for England in total - his last cap coming in the third-place play-off at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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cap → like → Russia
After spells coaching at United and Blackburn after retiring in 2023, he is now first-team coach at Sheffield United.
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he → coach → United
He has coached at Everton since retiring in 2020 and currently serves as an assistant to manager David Moyes.
Jordan Henderson
A foray in Saudi Arabia briefly halted his England career, but Henderson was still involved in the squad for the 2026 World Cup, making his 90th Three Lions appearance in the group stage game against Panama.
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Henderson → coach → Panama
Fabian Delph
Once a promising Leeds youngster, Fabian Delph was making the fourth of just 20 appearances for England against Lithuania.
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Delph → make → Lithuania
Delph’s international career received a brief resurgence under Southgate, used as a makeshift left-back after Pep Guardiola had converted the midfielder into a defender for Manchester City.
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Guardiola → receive → City
Already in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, United have since slid much further - with Carrick now set to be sacked from his role as head coach at Old Trafford after just one win in 10 Premier League games this term.
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Carrick → slide → games
Raheem Sterling produced the assist for Kane’s debut England goal, and despite being only 20, the winger had already earned 13 caps.
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winger → produce → caps
Since breaking onto the scene as a teenager at Liverpool, Sterling reached new heights at City - before a harsh decline left the 31-year-old hunting for a club after a short stint at Feyenoord in the Netherlands.
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decline → break → Netherlands
He has not played for England since 2022.
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He → play → 2022
Unlike his club team-mate, Welbeck has not enjoyed the same longevity with England.
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Welbeck → enjoy → England
In fact, the Lithuania game was his last competitive start for the Three Lions, only earning nine more caps to bring his total tally to 42.
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game → earn → 42
Rather fittingly, Kane replaced Wayne Rooney against Lithuania in the 71st minute - the man he would one day overtake as England’s top goalscorer.
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he → replace → goalscorer
Rooney’s England career never lived up to the expectations in terms of silverware, but his 53 goals in 120 games put ‘Wazza’ into the history books as his country’s top goalscorer and most-capped outfield player - before Kane took both records.
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Kane → live → records
After spells in management at Derby, D.C. United, Birmingham and Plymouth, he is now thriving as a pundit.
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he → thrive → pundit
The Aporia
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