Obsessive attention to detail is helping striker to reach new heights – and a 126th international appearance on Thursday

Kane is hurtling towards his record-breaking England cap. He is in better shape than ever; mentally, as well, because he has grown so much as a leader and public speaker, particularly over the past few years of his England captaincy. He was given the armband on a full-time basis by Gareth Southgate in 2018, the fulfilment of a boyhood dream.

Kane has never hidden the fact that England is his priority, mainly because he was such a fan of the national team as a boy. It will be an emotional occasion for him against Croatia and his journey will flash before him. It began with the goal on his debut against Lithuania in 2015, 79 seconds after he came on as a substitute for Wayne Rooney, and it is worth dwelling on the numbers.

Of Kane’s 91 goals – an England record – 21 have come at major tournaments: 14 at World Cups, seven at European Championships. Only two European players have more combined goals at World Cup tournaments and European Championships: Cristiano Ronaldo (25) and Kylian Mbappé (23). Kane has scored 12 times in the knockout rounds. As an aside, he has 21 assists for England, which puts him joint‑second on the all-time men’s list with Steven Gerrard, behind David Beckham (39).

The best moments? Kane is very fond of the Lithuania goal, not to mention the last-gasp winner against Tunisia in the 2018 World Cup group stage and the clincher against Germany in the last 16 at Euro 2020. He always says that one of his best England performances was against Ukraine in the quarter-final of that tournament, when he scored twice. More recently, there were the two goals that saved the day against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last 32 of the World Cup last summer.

Kane’s penalties are a major part of his England story. His record shows 26 successes and five misses, although he scored on the rebound against Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-final. His conversion against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final involved withstanding incredible pressure. Ditto the one against Mexico in the last 16 of this past World Cup. The scar that will never heal was the miss in the 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat by France in Qatar in 2022. Was it the low point of his career? Kane is on record as saying the World Cup semi-final exit against Argentina in the summer was worse.

He was never supposed to make it this far; to reach the Hollywood moment of winning the Ballon d’Or, receiving the trophy from the Brazilian Ronaldo and giving an acceptance speech that tugged hard on the heartstrings. His voice wobbled as he paid tribute to his mother, Kim, who had tears in her eyes, and his father, Pat.

Kane was never a wonderkid at Spurs; he had difficult loans at Norwich and Leicester. He was doubted. It is true to say he has wrung every last drop from his talent; the dedication has underpinned everything. And yet the raw ability was always there, something often overlooked.

Harry Redknapp, the manager who gave Kane his Spurs debut in 2011, tells a story from the player’s formative days. It involved a behind-closed-doors game at the training ground against Birmingham, whose centre‑half Scott Dann was on the verge of a move to Arsenal. Birmingham included Dann in their team as he returned from a minor injury and Arsenal asked Redknapp whether they could come along to watch.

“I got a call from Pat Rice and Steve Rowley and I said: ‘Of course, no problem, come over,’” Redknapp said. “Arsenal were signing Scott Dann, they just wanted to check his fitness. So they came to watch and I think Harry scored four goals that day and Arsenal didn’t sign Scott Dann. Harry absolutely ran amok that day.

“We always felt Harry was going to be a player. No one could come here now and say we knew he was going to be England’s all-time record caps holder, record scorer and Ballon d’Or winner. Anyone who says that is talking rubbish. But we did think there was a player there. How good he would be, no one was ever sure.”

It was Harry Kane’s dirty little secret. Something the England captain got up to after matches. He felt he deserved the indulgence. Yes, it can be revealed, Kane loved to reward himself after a gruelling 90 minutes with a bag of sweets. “I do like a Haribo,” he said with a smile after the Nations League win against Czechia in Prague at the end of September.

Kane was breathtaking when he broke through for Spurs and England in 2014-15 and there were people who thought that would be it; he was tagged as a one-season wonder. He has been a wonder in every season since, the dynamics finessed, perhaps, by the sense that nothing has been given to him; his humility, too.

There has never been the hint of scandal about Kane and it is perfectly possible that Haribos may be his biggest vice. The Ballon d’Or is the Boy Next d’Or and there was genuine happiness in all quarters when he won the award – not only among his friends in the game. That said, the reaction of his former Spurs teammate Son Heung‑min, who is at Los Angeles FC, was gold. He tore off on a goal celebration‑style run at his club’s training ground when he heard the news.

Where can Kane take this? When will it end? Nobody knows but two things are clear. He is equipped to keep pushing for a good number of years and it has long since passed the point where it is reasonable to doubt him.

No more. At the beginning of last season, Kane took the decision to cut out the naughty treats. After a while, he noticed a difference. He felt sharper; able to sprint more, make a greater number of accelerations. Was it down to this latest entry on the list of personal sacrifices? Or was it a consequence of his broader health regime, the scope of which is mind-blowing?

The bottom line was that there was a gain. So Kane did what he has always done – he leaned into it. Strongly. As the goals flowed as never before, he said it became “addictive”. The 33-year-old striker finished the season with 61 goals for Bayern Munich and 12 for England. According to data from Gradient Sports, his sprints and accelerations per 90 minutes for Bayern were up significantly on 2024-25. This season, he has 10 goals for Bayern and six for England. Again, his sprint and acceleration statistics have improved.

It is a window into Kane’s mentality, the insatiable quest for self‑improvement, the fixation with details large and small, which was the basis for his Ballon d’Or coronation two weeks ago. It is why, as he prepares to make his 126th England appearance against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday night and overtake Peter Shilton as the nation’s most capped men’s player, it is hard to argue that he is not getting better with age.

Kane is the ultimate modern‑day professional, who controls everything he can control. The no‑sweets choice is the most recent on a dietary journey that started more than 10 years ago when he began to work with the nutritional specialist Dan Sargeant.

Kane had his meals prepared by Sargeant, who believes that everyone has a different reaction to food and analyses everything from bone broths to the white bits on oranges to tailor individual plans. Kane has not worked directly with Sargeant since his transfer from Tottenham to Bayern in 2023 – he has a different chef in Munich – but he continues to follow his advice.

It is common knowledge that Kane is teetotal during the season, albeit he had a few drinks as he celebrated his Ballon d’Or triumph. It was the first and almost certainly the last time he broke his rule. Similarly, everyone is aware of Kane’s obsession with recovery after games; his use of ice baths and infrared saunas. He also places great store in the quality of his sleep.

Less well-known is the depth of his relationship with his private doctor, Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco, who specialises in electrical neurofunctional acupuncture. Kane started seeing the Spaniard on a recommendation from the golfer Justin Rose after sustaining a severe hamstring tear playing for Spurs in 2020.

Claraco is based in Canada but travels to see Kane and spends at least a week every month with him. During that time, he will treat Kane on a table for four to five hours each day, getting his muscles pumping with acupuncture needles hooked up to a small battery. Claraco has been fundamental in helping Kane to understand his body; what he can and cannot do, plus how he gets over injuries.

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