Harry Kane was given a hero’s welcome after backing up his Ballon d’Or win by breaking England’s appearance record – and then scoring the decisive goal – in Thursday’s 2-1 Nations League victory against Croatia.
Kane, who was named the best player in the world last month, beamed as tributes were paid to him before kick-off at Wembley. The England captain was joined on the pitch by his four children and posed for photographs with them as he showed the Ballon d’Or trophy to the crowd.
The occasion was dominated by Kane, who made his international debut in a win over Lithuania in 2015, moving clear of Peter Shilton by winning his 126th cap. A huge tifo of Kane, who became England’s record goalscorer in March 2023, greeted the sides as they emerged from the tunnel at the start of the evening. The Bayern Munich striker, who drew level with Shilton during last month’s win over Czechia, was greeted by a host of legends and dignitaries.
The former England captain Terry Butcher was present to congratulate Kane. There was a lovely moment with the Croatia captain Luka Modric, who played with Kane at Tottenham. Modric handed the 33-year-old a replica of the first football brought to Croatia. Shilton, England’s former No 1, congratulated Kane. The Prince of Wales presented the man of the hour with a framed commemorative shirt.
Kane was grateful for his reception. “Big thanks to everyone who organised the start of the match,” he said. “To have all them presentations, thank you to Croatia and Luka for presenting me with that as well.
“I’m trying to take everything in. It’s an important milestone in England’s history but once the whistle goes, the most important thing is the match and trying to win. I’ve always said all these big milestones that I’ve had, when you win the game it makes it 10 times better and I’ve been lucky enough to win all of them, especially here at Wembley so of course nice to do it again.”
Thomas Tuchel joined in the praise of Kane, who helped English win bronze at last summer’s World Cup.
“There is no secret,” England’s manager said. “It is hard work, it is personality, it is talent, dedication, focus, the full package. It is not easy what he is doing because he gets a lot of praise and more attention than ever.”
Kane, who beat Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to the Ballon d’Or after scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern last season, focused on the job at hand and played a role in Morgan Rogers’s opening goal before his 64th-minute penalty sealed victory.
Rogers later paid his own tribute. “He scores the goal as he always does,” the winger said. “Not much is new – a lovely night for him and his family. For us to be on the pitch tonight is a special honour, all about him really.
“Credit to him, he treated it like every other game. He’s relentless, keeps his work ethic and his focus and that’s where he gets the result. That’s why he’s the Ballon d’Or winner, his mindset and his work rate is relentless. He doesn’t get there by accident.”
