Harry Kane's record-breaking England goals in numbers

Entering Thursday's Euro 2024 qualifier with Italy needing just the one goal to surpass Wayne Rooney at the top of England's goalscoring charts, Kane led the fierce protests at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona when Giovanni Di Lorenzo's outstretched arm prevented Bukayo Saka's corner from landing on his head.

Even before the penalty was awarded following a customary check of the pitchside monitor, the script-writers had done their homework. Three months on from blazing a spot kick over the bar in England's World Cup quarter-final loss to France, Kane came face to face with the goalkeeper whose penalty-saving prowess prevented football from coming home in the Euro 2020 final.

However, the demons of Qatar were quickly exorcised, as Kane calmly sent Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way to officially become the greatest goalscorer in the history of English football - scoring his 54th goal in his 81st national team appearance - making history in two shades of white having broken Jimmy Greaves's all-time Spurs record just last month.

As tributes flood in for the 29-year-old, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the key facts and figures behind Kane's record-breaking haul.

FIRST GOAL - LITHUANIA (MARCH 27, 2015)

Talk about starting as you mean to go on - Kane's first goal for England would of course come on his senior international debut, with his first touch no less.

Having burst onto the scene in Tottenham colours, Kane made his Wembley bow during a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania in March 2015, unsurprisingly starting on the bench as the Three Lions killed the game off before the hour mark.

Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling had already made the net ripple before the former made way for Kane in the 71st minute, and Rooney was among those to stand and applaud when a then-21-year-old Kane scored with his first touch just two minutes later.

Twisting and turning in typical Sterling fashion, the former Liverpool attacker created space to cross for Kane at the back post, and the striker's header trickled over the line despite the best efforts of Giedrius Arlauskis in the Lithuania goal.

50TH GOAL - GERMANY (JUNE 7, 2022)

On the whole, England's 2022-23 UEFA Nations League campaign was a truly dreadful affair, but there was time for Kane to leave his mark on the top tier with a milestone goal before Gareth Southgate's side prepare for life in League B.

Three days after suffering a humbling 1-0 loss to Hungary, the Three Lions took on the Germans in their own backyard, where Jonas Hofmann would draw first blood for Die Mannschaft with 51 minutes on the clock.

Staring down the barrel of yet another defeat to their long-time adversaries, England were up in arms when Nico Schlotterbeck's clumsy tackle on Kane in the box would seemingly go unpunished, but a penalty was ultimately awarded following a quick on-field review.

The imposing Manuel Neuer was in his way, but in typical Kane fashion, the 29-year-old sent the Bayern Munich number one the wrong way with a clinical effort into the bottom corner, bringing up a half-century of goals for his country and moving ever closer to the top of the pile.

RECORD-BREAKING GOAL - ITALY (MARCH 23, 2023)

As part of the pre-match build-up on Channel 4, Kane would be forced to relive his wild second penalty against France - where he squandered the chance to break Rooney's record - but there was not a single shred of apprehension from the England captain on the Naples turf this week.

With just 13 minutes gone, Kane saw an effort blocked at the back post following a corner, although the ricochet fell kindly for Declan Rice to fire England into the lead before a sense of deja vu just before the break.

Another Saka corner intended for Kane was blocked, but this time by the arm of Di Lorenzo, and Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic initially waved away the protests before pointing to the spot following a pitchside check.

Taking no notice of the unrelenting Italian protests going on behind him, Kane picked his corner and converted with panache, as a diving Donnarumma - who went the wrong way - could not replicate his Euro 2020 heroics to deny the England striker his golden moment.

MAJOR TOURNAMENT GOALS - 12

The years of hurt continue to be prolonged for the England men's team, but it has not been for the want of trying for Kane, whose 12 goals across the World Cup and Euros are also the most of any male Three Lions player to grace the turf.

The Tottenham talisman's continued excellence domestically would earn him his first major tournament call-up for Euro 2016, but he went four games without scoring or providing an assist as Roy Hodgson oversaw the infamous last-16 defeat to Iceland.

However, Kane left Russia with a World Cup Golden Boot in his suitcase in 2018, netting six goals across the tournament - two against Tunisia, one versus Colombia and a hat-trick during the 6-1 demolition job of Panama.

The Tottenham man failed to fire in the group stages of Euro 2020, but he dusted off his best shooting boots to net four goals in three knockout games against Ukraine, Germany and Denmark before a similar story transpired in Qatar.

Going 270 minutes in the group stage without scoring - albeit while supplying three assists - Kane netted in both of England's knockout contests with Senegal and France, but 12 major tournament strikes are yet to turn into one major tournament trophy for Kane's current England crop.

FAVOURITE OPPONENT - SAN MARINO

Given their perennial status as Europe's whipping boys, it comes as little surprise to see that San Marino have become Kane's favourite opponent to play against in England colours, scoring five goals in just two appearances against the world's 211th-ranked nation.

Firstly taking on the minnows during a Euro 2016 qualifier in September 2015, Kane was only granted 30 minutes off the bench to strut his stuff, but the striker made his presence felt - scoring the Three Lions' fifth in a comprehensive 6-0 thumping.

Another six years would pass before Kane came back to haunt San Marino, who were the victims of a four-goal masterclass from the 29-year-old in November 2021, as the skipper made the net ripple in the 27th, 31st, 39th and 42nd minute of that 10-0 humiliation, which sealed England's place at the 2022 World Cup.

With that quartet of strikes, Kane became the first male England player since Ian Wright in 1993 to score four goals in one game - the ex-Arsenal man coincidentally also did so against San Marino - although Germany, Albania, Montenegro and Bulgaria are just one behind the world's worst-ranked team with four Kane goals flying past them.

HAT-TRICKS - FIVE

The match balls have been piling up for Kane since the forward first made waves with Tottenham, and the 29-year-old now has an eye-catching five hat-tricks to his name in an England jersey.

Kane's first treble for his country came in the thrashing of Panama at the 2018 World Cup - he needed just 63 minutes to do so before Southgate withdrew him - while he also took home the match ball in Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Montenegro in 2019.

Just three days before the aforementioned four-goal haul against San Marino - his most recent hat-trick for the Three Lions - Kane netted three times in a 5-0 win over Albania, and he would once again need just over an hour to fire his trio of goals in both contests.

Only three other male players have scored hat-tricks in back-to-back games for England - Vivian Woodward, Tommy Taylor and Dixie Dean - and he is now just one shy of equalling another Greaves record, with the late Tottenham striker netting six international trebles during his famed career.