Harry Kane reels in Rooney for England goals record like a hunter with its prey

It is one of Harry Kane’s most treasured possessions: the shirt he wore for his England debut. The European Championship qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley; 27 March 2015. The centre-forward’s script writers had been busy that season, the one in which he broke through so suddenly at Tottenham, and they were never going to disappoint.

On as a 71st-minute substitute for Wayne Rooney, Kane took only 79 seconds to score, a far-post header from Raheem Sterling’s cross. The TV cameras cut to Rooney on the bench, smiling broadly and applauding. Afterwards, he would sign Kane’s shirt along with the rest of the team. “Well done mate, 1st of many,” he wrote. Rooney knew that there would be many, many more.

Spool forward to Kane’s fourth cap, the qualifier against Switzerland in September of that year when he scored his third England goal. He was on the pitch when Rooney made it 2-0 from the penalty spot to reach 50 for the nation and break Sir Bobby Charlton’s record. In fact, Kane was the first player over to celebrate with Rooney, whispering something in his ear before embracing him. What did he say? Congratulations, surely. Or perhaps: “I’m coming for you.”

It is fun to imagine. Kane’s chase to overhaul Rooney’s eventual tally of 53 has been marked by everything that defines him: dedication, determination, composure under pressure, self-belief. There have been memorable high points – along with the lows – and the overall sense of a hunter reeling in its prey; inexorably, inevitably. For some time, it has come to be a question of where and when. Now we have the answer: Kane getting there with a penalty of almost implausibly rich narrative strands in Thursday night’s Euro 2024 qualifying win over Italy in Naples.

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