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Swinging 60s: Kane joins Messi, Ronaldo in exclusive international strikers club

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  • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerOct 18, 2023, 05:59 AM ET

Harry Kane passed yet another international benchmark on Tuesday night as he became the first England men’s player to reach (and then subsequently surpass) the 60-goal mark at senior level.

The 30-year-old striker scored twice in a 3-1 win over Italy in a Group C qualifier at Wembley that saw the Three Lions formally book their place at Euro 2024 next summer.

After falling behind to an early Gianluca Scamacca goal, England equalised as Kane struck from the penalty spot after 32 minutes to register his 60th international goal. He then scored again on 77 minutes and overtook Sir Bobby Charlton to become the England men’s all-time top goal scorer at Wembley (with 24 goals in total at the national stadium.)

So, with 61 goals in 87 games, Kane is now the 28th male player to reach 60 international goals and the 11th active player to do so, joining some highly illustrious company amid the upper echelons of his craft. Here are the other active players.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Teerasil Dangda (Thailand, 64 goals in 126 games)

Making his international debut in 2007, Dangda has served as Thailand’s talismanic captain and principal source of goals ever since. A deep-lying forward, the 35-year-old has found the net in the Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup qualification games. He also has more goals than any other player in the AFF Championship, with 25.

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 65 goals in 133 games)

Nobody has played more times or scored more goals for Bosnia and Herzegovina than Dzeko, who is comfortably clear at the top of both lists. The former Man City, Roma and Inter Milan striker, now plying his trade at Fenerbahce, has also captained his country on 62 occasions since 2014, which is another exemplary record to add to his pile.

Luis Suárez (Uruguay, 68 goals in 137 games)

Suarez’s relentless style has made him the scourge of centre-backs the world over since his debut in 2007. The controversial striker — who has been banned three times in his career for biting an opponent — has played at three World Cups and four Copa Americas, winning the 2011 edition with Uruguay (his only major international honour to date.)

Romelu Lukaku (Belgium, 78 goals in 111 games)

A prolific goal scorer since his debut in 2010, Lukaku is 44 goals clear of the pack on Belgium’s list of all-time top scorers, with the recently retired Eden Hazard (33) representing his closest competitor.

Neymar (Brazil, 79 goals in 128 games)

By scoring his 78th and 79th goals in last month’s 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over Bolívia, Neymar finally passed the great Pelé (77 goals) to become the Brazil men’s new top international goal scorer. However, the Al Hilal forward still has some way to go if he wishes to become the country’s overall top goal scorer as prolific women’s forward Marta holds the all-time record with 115 goals in 171 games.

Robert Lewandowski (Poland, 81 goals in 144 games)

One of the most gifted out-and-out strikers of his generation, Lewandowski has scored 548 goals in 732 games domestically for the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and now Barcelona. And he does it internationally too as the 35-year-old has a running total of 81 goals for the Poland national side and became their all-time top scorer in 2017 when he surpassed the previous record (48 goals) held by Wlodzimierz Lubanski.

Ali Mabkhout (United Arab Emirates, 81 goals in 111 games)

Mabkhout has only ever represented one club side since 2008, Al Jazira, and swiftly became their all-time leading goal scorer with 242 goals in 283 games. His domestic record is mirrored at international level where the 33-year-old has notched 81 goals in 111 games for the UAE.

Sunil Chhetri (India, 93 goals in 143 games)

While his name might not be instantly familiar to a wider audience, Chhetri is the fourth highest goal scorer in the entire history of men’s international football after leading the line for India since his debut in 2004. The 39-year-old veteran boasts a prestigious 19-year international career with 11 major titles (including the SAFF Championship, AFC Challenge Cup, Nehru Cup) under his belt.

Lionel Messi (Argentina, 106 goals in 178 games)

Not that the Argentina World Cup winner requires an introduction, but it should be noted that Messi is one of only three men in history to reach a century of goals in international football and is only three away from surpassing retired Iran legend Ali Daei on the all-time podium.

Messi, 36, also recently beat the record of his friend and former Barcelona teammate Suarez to become CONMEBOL’s leading scorer in World Cup qualifiers with 31 goals in 63 games.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, 127 goals in 203 games)

Nobody has scored more goals in the history of men’s international football than Ronaldo, who added four more to his tally this month with back-to-back braces in Portugal’s Euro 2024 qualifying wins over Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Al Nassr superstar also recently became the first men’s player ever to earn more than 200 senior caps for his country.


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