Tuchel hails Kane as 'perfect captain' ahead of record 126th England cap and Ballon d'Or presentation at Wembley

Thomas Tuchel confirmed Harry Kane will start England’s Nations League group-stage fixture against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, a night on which the 33-year-old will receive his Ballon d’Or trophy and break the all-time England appearances record with his 126th cap.

Kane currently shares the record with former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and Tuchel described the occasion as a “beautiful, beautiful” moment for both player and country. The England head coach was effusive in his praise, calling Kane the “standout player” in his squad and a “perfect captain” and “leader by example”.

“It’s a big occasion to present the Ballon d’Or to our fans and bring it to the country, and have it on the same day when he gets his all-time record for 126 matches,” Tuchel said. “On top of that it’s a match that matters — it is not a friendly, it is a Nations League match. There will be a lot of praise, a lot of emotions before kick-off and we need him in the best shape to win the match for us.”

When asked whether Kane was England’s greatest-ever player, Tuchel stopped short of a definitive verdict but acknowledged his captain’s standing. “I don’t know, but he is up there of course. It’s now proven and it’s always nice if things are proven. He has his collection of prizes, his records, he will build on these records, score more goals and get more games.”

Tuchel also revealed that his prior relationship with Kane — the pair worked together at Bayern Munich during the 2023-24 season — made accepting the England job an easy decision. “Harry was the standout player and I knew him of course, we worked together at Bayern so that made the decision very easy,” he said. “We had talked at his home in Munich about what we both wanted from the job. I knew I had a perfect captain and a leader by example.”

England go into Thursday’s fixture having thrashed Croatia 7-0 in the reverse fixture. Tuchel’s side need just a point from their remaining two games — against Croatia and then group leaders Spain — to secure a place in the Nations League quarter-finals in March.