Billy Wright, the Wolves player, amassed 105 caps between 1946 and 1959. He appeared in 105 of England’s 108 matches from his debut to his final game — 97% of those available — and missed only three.
Those are illustrious names, yet none of them lead their own countries’ appearance standings. Kane’s place in a wider list shows how hard it has been for anyone to play so many games for England’s men.
When called for a match of significant consequence, he has almost always answered. Nobody has been more dedicated or integral to England in the modern era.
A reliable way to collect caps is to go deep into tournaments. England did not do that regularly enough until the past decade.
In the grand history of international football, the record he is about to set will still sit relatively low.
It will be some time next year before he enters European football’s top 50 players for international caps, and longer still before he figures in the global standings.
He has played only 10 World Cup qualifiers, as many as England had for the 2022 tournament alone.
Even so, Kane’s 36 appearances at major tournaments are the most by an Englishman.
He has also played 26 more competitive games for England’s men than anyone else.