Kane is England's 'greatest striker', says Lineker

Harry Kane is England's record goalscorer followed by Wayne Rooney (53 goals in 120 appearances), Sir Bobby Charlton (49 in 106) and Gary Lineker (48 in 80) [Getty Images] Gary Lineker thinks Harry Kane is "the greatest English striker we've ever had" after the England captain equalled his record of 10 World Cup goals on Wednesday. Kane, 32, scored twice as England opened their tournament campaign in Dallas with a 4-2 victory against Croatia in Group L. Former Three Lions striker Lineker, 65, reached his tally between the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and Italia 90, while Kane is playing at his third tournament after featuring in Russia in 2018 and Qatar four years ago. "Welcome to the double-figures club. It's great. I mean, it may have taken him a World Cup more," ex-Match of the Day presenter Lineker joked on The Rest is Football podcast. "In all seriousness, Harry Kane is, I think, the greatest English striker we've ever had. I genuinely think that now." Kane now has 81 goals in 115 international appearances and leads the list of England's record goalscorers. England face Ghana in their second group game on 23 June at 21:00 BST. Bayern Munich's Kane gave England the lead with a retaken penalty early in the first half, before scoring a powerful header to restore his side's lead three minutes before the break. "I'm absolutely delighted that Kane equalled my record," Lineker continued. "His all-round game is, for me, what separates him from all the others." Kane's standout performance comes after Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria, Kylian Mbappe opened his account for France with two goals in the win over Senegal and Manchester City's Erling Haaland also scored a brace in Norway's victory against Iran. Lineker's co-host Alan Shearer, who scored 30 goals for England including two at the 1998 World Cup, said: "Harry Kane has seen Messi, Mbappe and Haaland all come on straight away and get the goals. "It's only a matter of time before he breaks your record." Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, who was left out of England boss Thomas Tuchel's squad for this summer's tournament, said Kane is not just the Three Lions' best player, he's "one of the best players in the world". He added: "You can't speak highly enough of him. On the pitch, he's unbelievable, but, off the pitch, he's a massive leader." Tactical analysis: England look exciting but how can they tighten up? Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game World Cup fixtures and group standings How to watch the World Cup on the BBC Everything you need to know about the World Cup