Kane breaks Lineker's 36-year England record with header as Lineker jokes: 'Shut the f*** up'

Harry Kane surpassed Gary Lineker’s long-standing England World Cup scoring record on Saturday, netting his 11th goal at the tournament with a 67th-minute header to seal a 2-0 win over Panama in New Jersey and end Lineker’s mark of 10 goals — set at Italia 90 — that had stood for 36 years.

The Bayern Munich striker’s goal was his third of the 2026 World Cup and helped England top Group L, setting up a round-of-32 tie against DR Congo on Wednesday. Kane has now scored at three World Cups, only the second England men’s player to achieve that feat alongside David Beckham.

Lineker, 65, was watching the match alongside Micah Richards for their Netflix show The Rest is Football when the record fell. Richards, appearing via video link from the UK, was quick to wind up his co-host. “Gary is no more, he’s not relevant any more, he’s irrelevant,” Richards declared. Lineker’s response was immediate: “Shut the f*** up, will you?” — before hitting the off button on his remote to cut Richards from the broadcast. He relented shortly after, allowing Richards back on screen.

Kane himself reached out to Lineker with a characteristically understated message. “Sorry Gary, I’m one ahead of you now,” the England captain said, before adding: “I’m sure he’ll send some congratulations and I’ve said before one of England’s greatest strikers, especially in World Cups. To go ahead of him now is a proud moment for myself and I’m sure he’ll be happy for me.”

Lineker’s reply was warm. “Thank you very much Harry, sincere congratulations, absolutely. I genuinely mean it — I’m thrilled for it. Forty years is a long time, I am kind of bored of it. I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s Harry Kane.”

Lineker scored six goals at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and four more in Italy in 1990. Kane, now 32, won the Golden Boot in Russia in 2018 with six goals, added two in Qatar in 2022, and has three so far in North America with the knockout rounds still to come.