FIFA World Cup 2022: Harry Kane's World Cup in Numbers as England take on Iran in FIFA WC

FIFA World Cup 2022: Harry Kane's World Cup in Numbers as England take on Iran in FIFA WC

In Russia four years ago, Kane scored six times in six games for England, leading the Three Lions to the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1990. The Tottenham Hotspur striker’s goal haul earned him the Golden Boot - only the second occasion, after Gary Lineker in 1986, that an England player has finished the World Cup as top scorer. Kane’s performances also earned him a place in FIFA’s 2018 World Cup ‘Fantasy Team’ and the tournament’s ‘Fan Dream Team’.

Appointed England captain ahead of Russia 2018, Kane marked his World Cup debut with a double in the team’s opening game against Tunisia. With 11 minutes on the clock in Volgograd, he tapped in from close range to give Gareth Southgate’s men the ideal start to their campaign - but Ferhani Sassi equalised with a penalty late in the first half, and that goal looked set to secure the Tunisians a point. However, Kane’s 92nd-minute back-post header earned England a last-gasp, 2-1 victory. It was only the sixth time in 15 World Cup appearances that the English had started the finals with a win. A hat-trick then followed in a 6-1 thumping of Panama, as England qualified from Group G with a game to spare. Kane’s first two goals came from the penalty spot, before he completed the rout in Nizhny Novgorod when he deflected Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot into the net.

Though Kane was unable to add to his tally in a quarter-final win over Sweden, a semi-final defeat to Croatia and a third-place playoff loss to Belgium, he still finished two goals clear of the 2018 World Cup’s next-highest individual scorers: Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Russia’s Denis Cheyshev.

At the World Cup (2018) Appearances: six Goals: six Assists: none In his entire England career (2015-) Appearances: 75 Goals: 51 Assists: 14

Kane did not provide any assists at Russia 2018, but at that time he was at a stage of his career where he tended to set up fewer goals. Indeed, he registered only three assists in his first 33 England appearances - which include the last World Cup - but has 11 in his 42 caps since then.