March 24 – Harry Kane became England’s leading scorer of all time on Thursday with his 54th goal for the national team in the 2-1 European Championship qualifying win over Italy in Naples.
Kane roared with delight in an emotional celebration after converting a penalty to overtake Wayne Rooney.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker banished memories of his crucial penalty miss in England’s World Cup quarter-final defeat by France in December by smashing home a spot-kick just before half-time
“It had to be a penalty, and once it hit the back of the net, huge emotion,” said Kane. “A magical moment.”
“To be a part of that is amazing. I just want to say a big thanks to all my teammates, the staff, the fans, my family back home,” added Kane after England’s first win away to Italy since 1961.
“Just a really special night for me and a night I will never forget. I’m just really proud.”
The England captain reached the landmark having played just 81 times, 39 fewer than Rooney.
“The World Cup, it was obviously a difficult way to end. It wasn’t nice to finish it that way but we spoke this week about getting back to it,” Kane said. “We feel like we are one of the best teams in Europe and we have to keep knocking on the door.
“We are getting close. To put in a performance like that today, it shows we are ready for the next challenge.”
In February Kane also surpassed Jimmy Greaves’ previous record of 266 to become Tottenham’s top scorer.
However he is yet to win a major trophy and his future at club level is again a source of speculation with just over one year left to run on his contract amid interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
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