Jude Bellingham hailed Harry Kane as England’s greatest-ever player after he marked his record-equalling 125th cap with a Wembley double, describing the striker as ‘unmatched’ worldwide.
After Kane’s cross forced an own goal out of Czech Republic defender Vladimir Coufal, the 33-year-old made this a night to remember by scoring twice. Remarkably, this was the 18th time that the Three Lions talisman has netted two or more goals in an England game.
‘We’re running out of superlatives,’ Bellingham said of Kane, who drew level with Peter Shilton on 125 caps. ‘He is the best England player that has ever worn the shirt and it is an honour to play with him. He is playing at a level which is pretty unmatched when you look across the world.
‘He is scoring goals for fun. He is still dropping in deep and delivering those passes in behind and wide and contributing in so many areas of the pitch and getting back as well with tackles.
‘And he is only getting better.’
Kane himself described his 125 caps as ‘beyond my wildest dreams’ and now that he is on 91 goals for England, he does not feel he has reached his ceiling as he chases his century.
Jude Bellingham (left) has hailed Harry Kane (right) as England’s greatest ever player
‘I hope not,’ Kane said. ‘I hope there’s still more to go. I guess only time dictates that. I still feel like I’ve got room to improve. I’ve just come back off my best season ever at 32 years old and right now I feel in an even better place. I’m not going to stop. I’m going to keep pushing and see where it takes me. Maybe in 10 years or so, we’ll see where that ceiling is at.’
On whether 100 England goals is his next target, Kane added: ‘I got asked this question by a few of the staff before the game – what would mean more between the 125 (caps) and 100 goals.
‘Obviously I’m getting closer to the 100 now. I’m in the nineties. I try not to think about it too much. It’s like being a cricketer in the nineties – the more you think about the 100, you don’t always get there. I’m just going with the flow right now. I’m coming off the back of my best season ever. I’m just pushing myself and seeing how far I can get.’
Kane did concede he would swap his personal achievements for a major trophy with his country. ‘For sure,’ he said immediately. ‘Without a doubt. I’d swap all that to win something with England.’
Thomas Tuchel said of Kane: ‘Brilliant. He deserves this stage. He deserves the praise.’
At 33 years old, Kane also became the oldest player to score a back-to-back brace in competitive fixtures for England. This victory over the Czech Republic ended the three-week international break. Tuchel’s side also beat Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka, the Czechs 2-0 in Prague, and lost 3-2 to Spain at Wembley with Kane scoring at least once in every game.
