Robbie Fowler backs Harry Kane to make World Cup history and join Messi & Ronaldo in exclusive goalscoring club

Harry Kane heads into the 2026 World Cup carrying England’s hopes once again, and Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler believes the Bayern Munich striker has every chance of making tournament history.

The England captain could become the first player ever to win two World Cup Golden Boots while also continuing his pursuit of an extraordinary international milestone that would place him alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

England’s record scorer keeps raising the bar

Kane has been England’s talisman since bursting onto the international scene with a goal on his debut in 2015.

Eleven years later, the 32-year-old stands alone as the nation’s all-time leading scorer with 78 international goals and remains the focal point of England’s attack heading into the tournament in North America.

His finest World Cup campaign came in 2018 when he scored six times to claim the Golden Boot as England reached the semi-finals. No player in the competition’s history has ever won the award twice.

Fowler backs Kane to create history

Former England striker Robbie Fowler believes Kane has all the tools required to become the first man to achieve the feat.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of BetMGM, Fowler said: “Potentially. With the England squad, I think they are quite capable of going into the latter rounds.”

“When you think of a goalscorer like him, he probably needs to be going into the quarters, the semis and even the final. I think England are capable of doing that.”

Fowler also believes another Golden Boot could significantly strengthen Kane’s claim in future Ballon d’Or discussions.

“You want Harry to do well because if he wins another leading goalscorer award at a World Cup, then that makes a stronger claim for him.”

Why Kane remains one of the world’s elite strikers

Despite entering the latter stages of his career, Kane continues to perform at the highest level for both club and country.

Fowler highlighted the striker’s intelligence as one of the key reasons he remains such a consistent threat.

“He’s capable, of course he’s capable because the game’s good for him as well. I think he’s quite clever in terms of how he manages himself in games.”

“He’s not 100 miles per hour all the time. He’s clever in how he plays the game. He’s got a little bit of everything. Harry scores goals.”

“Would you back against him? I certainly wouldn’t.”

The race to 100 England goals

Beyond World Cup success, Kane has another remarkable achievement within reach.

The England captain currently sits on 78 international goals, leaving him 22 away from the historic 100-goal mark.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the modern-era international stars to have reached such extraordinary heights, and Fowler believes Kane has every chance of joining them.

“Harry plays, Harry scores goals, doesn’t he?” Fowler said.

“When you look at qualification groups and the way England play, they should be scoring plenty of goals.”

No signs of slowing down

While Kane is no longer in the early years of his career, Fowler sees little evidence that his goalscoring instincts are fading.

“He’s obviously not a spring chicken anymore and maybe getting towards the twilight of his career,” Fowler admitted.

“But I’ll be honest, I still think he looks brilliant. I still think he’s got goals in him and I still think he’ll be a regular for England for a good few years.”

With World Cup glory, Golden Boot history and the pursuit of 100 international goals all on the horizon, Kane has the opportunity to further cement his status as one of England’s greatest-ever players.

“We’re talking about a generational striker in Harry Kane,” Fowler concluded.

“Wayne Rooney was tremendous for England and then Harry has come straight into that top bracket as well. He’s been brilliant.”