Friday 13 / November / 2026
London: England skipper Harry Kane expressed happiness at achieving the record for most appearances by an English player, saying that it is a feeling he will be proud of forever and thanked all the coaches, players and staff who worked with him over the years.
Ballon d'Or winner and England skipper Kane celebrated his record-breaking 126th appearance for the national side in style, starring in his side's 2-1 win over Croatia in their UEFA Nations League clash at Wembley Stadium on Friday, sealing his side's spot in the quarterfinals. Kane broke Peter Shilton's record to become the most-capped English player ever, with 126 appearances in national colours.
Posting on X, Harry wrote that as a kid he dreamt of playing for his country and now, having played the most games, captained the side and played at World Cups, he feels really proud of his journey.
"It’s hard to put into words what it means to become England’s all-time appearance holder. When I was a kid I always dreamed about representing my nation. To have had the honour of being captain, leading the boys out, representing England at World Cups and now becoming the most capped player… it’s what dreams are made of. Thank you to my family, all the staff, coaches and players I’ve worked with over the years who have helped me reach this point. It’s a feeling I’ll be proud of forever. Here’s to many more appearances wearing this badge," posted Harry.
Croatian skipper and legend Luka Modric presented Harry with a historic ball that holds massive significance in Croatian football history to mark the occasion.
Alongside a social media photograph of Luka presenting the gift to Harry, the official Instagram handle of Croatian Football congratulated him for winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time ever and becoming his country's most-capped player. Explaining the significance of the ball given to him by Luka, they said, "In 1880, English industrialists brought the first football to Croatia, introduced the beautiful game to the people of Zupanja (a town in eastern Croatia, ed.) and left them a gift that became part of Croatian football history."
In their message to Harry and the English Football Federation, Croatia said that they were "proud to return a replica of the historic ball with this gesture. A symbol of the enduring bond between Croatian and English football."
With an assist from Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers put the hosts in front in the 24th minute, with the scoreline being 1-0 at the time of half-time.
Just near the one-hour mark, Petar Sucic delivered an equaliser for Croatia, keeping the game alive. A header by Jarell Quansah to goalie Jordan Pickford was too casual and pounced on by Sucic. Five minutes later, Kane gleefully converted a penalty after it was awarded to England with Ivan Smolcic committing a serious challenge on Quansah, as per Sky Sports. The scoreline was undisturbed from this point on.
Following the match, Kane said, as per England Football's official website, "It was an incredible gesture and reception at the start of the game, but once it starts, it is just about getting the three points. We were playing against a tough team who had a point to prove and for large spells, we did well. It got a bit tight towards the end, but overall, it is a good win and sets us up nicely for Sunday.
“We gave away a few too many easy balls, especially in our own half, which killed our momentum a bit, but we definitely had enough chances to score two or three; we were playing against a good team," he added.
With the top spot in group A3, currently in the hands of an undefeated Spain up for grabs against the world champions in their match against world champions at Madrid, Kane feels it would be a great test for the team after a narrow loss at Wembley in September.
"After the first game, when we lost against them, we knew we left a bit out there,” he said.
“We knew we could have done a bit better. We said to ourselves, let us win every game until the next one. It’s a perfect opportunity on Sunday to try and prove ourselves," he signed off.
