Harry Kane overtakes Wayne Rooney to become England’s all-time top scorer
- Seb Sternik
- 23 March 2023
Almost eight years on from his first senior international goal, Harry Kane became the greatest ever England goalscorer after surpassing Wayne Rooney in the all-time charts.
The Tottenham man converted a first-half penalty against Italy in Naples during the opening match of the 2024 European Championship qualifiers.
His effort took his goal tally to 54 from 81 international appearances. Rooney, who now drops to second in the standings, scored 53 England goals in 120 outings.
Kane had the opportunity to surpass Rooney during December's World Cup quarter-final clash with France, though his heart-breaking penalty miss meant the 29-year-old was forced to wait for his big moment.
The Spurs frontman put his Qatar penalty miss behind him after converting from the spot in Italy to finally secure his spot at the top of the all-time England goalscoring charts.
Kane's best year as the Three Lions star was 2021 when he bagged 16 goals in 16 appearances. In 2022, the forward added five more goals from 13 international outings.
Bobby Charlton is third in the all-time list having scored 49 goals in 106 matches. Gary Lineker, on the other hand, is fourth with 48 goals from 80 appearances.
Tottenham icon Jimmy Greaves is fifth on the charts, scoring 44 times in 57 games.
