Harry Kane surpasses childhood hero Beckham’s record

England captain Harry Kane has spoken about his pride at reaching the same number of international caps of his childhood hero, Sir David Beckham, after making his 115th appearance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 4-2 win over Croatia. Now, he's gone one better with his 116th cap in the second group match against Ghana.

The milestone of 116 caps means he's the Three Lions' third-highest appearance maker, only behind Peter Shilton (125) and Wayne Rooney (120).

It marks another landmark in Kane’s journey from grassroots football at Ridgeway Rovers to captaining England on the international stage.

Like Beckham before him, Kane grew up in Chingford, attended the same Chingford Foundation School and began his football career with Ridgeway Rovers.

“David Beckham had also played for Ridgeway Rovers growing up, and with Beckham being Beckham, he was my idol,” said Kane on an episode of Lions' Den connected by EE.

“I knew he'd played for the same team as me, went to the same school and grew up in the area. Looking back, having two England captains come from Ridgeway Rovers and Chingford Foundation School is an amazing achievement.”

For Kane, Beckham’s success made an England career feel attainable as he honed his skills while growing up on the outskirts of London.

“Seeing Beckham go on to achieve what he did made it seem a little bit more real,” he explained. “Without that, it might've felt out of reach. It gave me that extra belief that I could go on and achieve the same.
 
“I’m extremely proud to be amongst those names. David Beckham was my idol growing up. He was England captain, from the same area in Chingford, and we went to the same school. To have the same number of caps as him is pretty mind-blowing.”

Kane also revealed Beckham sent him a voice note before and after the match as the Three Lions got their campaign off to a winning start in Dallas.

“David sent me a nice voice note yesterday [Wednesday 17 June], and then after the game congratulating me on getting to 115. He said how hard it is to be that consistent and reach that many caps, so it was great to receive that message.”

The connection between the two England captains extends beyond that too, as Kane recalled a school-age photograph taken at the opening of the Beckham Academy featuring both himself and his now wife Katie.

“We haven’t spoken about the picture, but it has come up on Instagram before and he reposted it,” said Kane.

“The girl standing next to him is actually my wife, because we went to the same school. It’s a really nice picture to have at home and brings back great memories.”

Now ahead of Beckham on 116 appearances, Kane joins one of England’s most exclusive groups.

While Beckham’s legacy was built across three World Cups and years as captain, Kane has established his own through goals, leadership and consistency.