Harry Kane refuses to rule out chasing Cristiano Ronaldo’s international record

Harry Kane says Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time international goalscoring record could become a realistic target if he continues performing at the highest level.

The England captain scored twice in the 3-0 win over the Czech Republic at Wembley to take his international total to 91 goals. The game was also his 125th appearance for England, moving him level with former goalkeeper Peter Shilton as the most-capped men’s player in the country’s history.

Ronaldo is currently the leading scorer in international football, with 146 goals for Portugal. Kane, however, has indicated that he does not intend to retire from international duty in the near future.

“We’ll see how far we can get,” Kane said. “It’s an awful long way away right now, but who knows? I’m in great shape.”

The Bayern Munich striker believes he could continue playing into his late 30s, provided he retains his fitness and form.

“I’ve said before that some of the players who I’ve played with went into their late 30s and are still at the highest level and even 40s now,” he said.

“It’s season by season with me. As long as I feel like I can help the team, I’ll be around.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel praised Kane for another significant performance while wearing the captain’s armband.

“Amazing, he deserves the stage, he deserves the praise,” Tuchel said.

Kane made his England debut in 2015 and scored only 79 seconds after coming on as a substitute against Lithuania. Eleven years on, he is the nation’s record goalscorer and one of the most experienced members of the squad.

The 33-year-old says his progress has been driven by natural ability, hard work and a strong belief in his own potential.

“I always had a lot of self-belief,” Kane said. “I was always willing to maybe do more than others and just push myself.”

“I combined my talent that I had with a lot of hard work and self-belief and a lot of dedication.”

Kane has also continued to excel at Bayern Munich since leaving Tottenham. He recently became the fastest player to score 100 Bundesliga goals, reaching the mark after 98 league appearances.

Despite those achievements, he says he remains determined to improve.

“I’m coming off the back of my best season ever as a player and I’ve started this season as good as I did last season,” he said.

“I’m in a good place and for me right now, it’s just pushing myself and seeing how far I can get.”

Kane’s immediate focus will be maintaining his scoring form for Bayern and England. Yet with 91 international goals already to his name, narrowing the gap to Ronaldo is now a possibility he is prepared to acknowledge.

“I’m not going to stop,” Kane added. “I’m going to keep pushing and see where it takes me.”