Kane breaks Rooney's England scoring record
Striker Harry Kane has overtaken Wayne Rooney to become England's all-time record goal-scorer after reaching 54 goals for his country in their European Championship qualifier against Italy on Thursday.
Kane scored from the spot right before half-time after VAR awarded a penalty for handball to England against Leonardo Spinazzola. The Tottenham striker's goal put England up 2-0 over Italy at the break as Gareth Southgate's team went on to hang on for a 2-1 win.
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"I just want to say that this has been a really special night for me personally and a really special night for the team," Kane said. "It's the first time that England have won in Italy for a long, long time and to be part of that is amazing.
"I want to also say a big thank you to my teammates, to the staff, the fans, my family back home and my wife. It's a really special night and one that I'll never forget and I'm just so proud. And to everyone in here, thank you to everyone who has made this dream come alive.
England's win Thursday was their first away victory against Italy since 1961 and they will next host Ukraine at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
"I don't like to look too far ahead because a lot can happen in football," Kane added. "But I'm 29, I'm feeling fit and I'm feeling strong. I'm feeling probably the best I've felt in my career so far. So I hope I have many more years.
"Playing for England is probably my greatest feeling in football and I want to do it for as long as possible. As a striker I want to score in every game. But now it's time to get ready for Sunday because we have to make sure we win that now and make sure it's a really good camp. Hopefully many more [goals].
Rooney previously held the record with 53 goals in 120 appearances spanning 15 years, while Kane did it in just 81 games with the Three Lions. World Cup winner Bobby Charlton is third in England's men's all-time scoring charts with 49 goals.
"Congratulations to Harry Kane on becoming England's all-time leading goalscorer. I knew it wouldn't take long but that was quick. Great man, unbelievable goalscorer and an England legend. Congrats Harry!" Rooney said on Twitter.
Kane, 29, moved level with Rooney when he scored from the penalty spot against France in the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar, although he was made to wait to break the record after missing a later penalty, with England ultimately exiting the tournament in a 2-1 defeat.
His record-breaking strike comes just weeks after becoming Spurs' all-time leading scorer when he netted his 267th goal for the club in a win over Manchester City last month.
Kane made his England debut in March 2015 aged 21 and scored moments after being introduced from the bench by then boss Roy Hodgson against Lithuania.
Gareth Southgate, who took over as England boss the following year, made Kane the side's captain for the 2018 World Cup and subsequent European Championship where he led his country to semifinal and final appearances, respectively.
He also won the Golden Boot award as top scorer with six goals at his debut World Cup.
Kane's exceptional form in 2021 saw him become the first player to score 13 goals in a calendar year for England, twice scoring first-half hat tricks against San Marino and Albania.
The forward again captained England at the World Cup in Qatar, where he scored twice -- the first coming in a group-stage win over Senegal and the other to level the scores in the quarterfinals against France.
