Micah Richards had the clearest line on Wednesday: Harry Kane matched Gary Lineker’s 10 World Cup goals and then helped England beat Croatia 4-2 in Dallas. The England captain scored twice in Group L, and the milestone pulled a former Three Lions striker into open admiration.
Lineker did not hedge his view. “In all seriousness, Harry Kane is, I think, the greatest English striker we've ever had. I genuinely think that now,” he said on The Rest is Football podcast. He added: “I'm absolutely delighted that Kane equalled my record.”
Gary Lineker and Harry Kane
Kane’s first goal came from a retaken penalty early in the first half. His second arrived three minutes before the break, when he powered in a header to restore England’s lead. Those two finishes took him to 10 World Cup goals and gave England the win in their tournament opener.
The scale of the comparison is bigger than one night in Dallas. Lineker reached his 10 across the 1986 World Cup and Italia 90, while Kane has done it at his third tournament after Russia in 2018 and Qatar four years ago. Kane’s wider England record is already 81 goals in 115 international appearances, which puts his World Cup run alongside a far larger overall scoring total.
Alan Shearer on the record
Alan Shearer offered the complication inside the praise. “Harry Kane has seen Messi, Mbappe and Haaland all come on straight away and get the goals,” he said on the same podcast, before adding: “It's only a matter of time before he breaks your record.” Kane has only matched Lineker so far, but the expectation around him is now about when the mark goes next, not whether it stands.
Harry Maguire also backed the captain’s standing, calling him “one of the best players in the world” and saying: “On the pitch, he's unbelievable, but, off the pitch, he's a massive leader.” England now move to Ghana on 23 June at 21:00 BST, with Kane carrying a tied World Cup mark and a direct challenge to finish the job alone.
