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Could Harry Kane’s 100-goal mark for England become a record that lasts forever? Former Three Lions striker Andy Cole has explained why that may not necessarily be the case, saying in an exclusive interview that someone in the future could still produce “frightening” numbers.

Harry Kane is firmly on track to reach 100 goals for England. If he does get to that landmark, would it be a record that stands for all time? Former Three Lions forward Andy Cole addressed that question in an exclusive interview and said the former Manchester United star feels another player could yet post extraordinary figures in years to come.

Rooney was the first to reach 50 goals for England

It was not until September 2015 that any player got to 50 goals for the England men’s national team, with Wayne Rooney becoming the first to register a half-century. He also remains the all-time top scorer at Old Trafford and ended his international career with 53 goals.

Kane made his England debut alongside Rooney, and at that point it was impossible to foresee what he would eventually accomplish. No player in Tottenham’s history has scored more goals for the club.

He has also produced unprecedented numbers for England, with the evergreen 33-year-old - now the talismanic captain of his country - moving past Rooney and on to 85 goals. He is also only four caps away from equalling Peter Shilton’s appearance record.

If Kane reaches 100, will that record last forever?

Considering the standards he has set and sustained, it now seems only a matter of time before the Bayern Munich striker hits three figures in international goals. The question is whether anyone will ever come close to matching such remarkable achievements.

When that question was put to Cole, the 15-cap forward said: “I don't know. I think what he's done is absolutely phenomenal.

“Whoever plays after Harry, if they have the opportunity to play the amount of games that he's played for England, in the tournaments he's been to, you just don't know with a modern-day game what people's numbers can be. It's frightening. Like I said, you don't know who's going to replace him, but his numbers are obscene numbers. Fair play to him.”

Kane backed to join Messi and Ronaldo in an exclusive club

Another former Three Lions striker, Emile Heskey, had previously said when asked whether Kane could become a centurion goalscorer - like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: “Why not? He’s a goalscorer, that’s what he prides his game on – getting goals. A lot of people say he’s got to do this and this, but when your numbers stack up the way that his do, you kind of look past a lot of it.

“When you look at the way that he plays, and it’s about looking after your body – if he can have the right diet, the right rest, which is a key thing when you look at the amount of games and the intensity of the games, the key thing is can he get enough rest and get recuperated for the next game. He’ll be fine.”

Darren Anderton also said ahead of the 2026 World Cup, when asked how high Kane might set his historic England benchmark before eventually calling time on a record-breaking career: “High! He still has a few years left if he wants them.

“The thing is, he's never relied on being the fastest player in the world. I always said the same about Teddy Sheringham. He's not slow, but pace has never been the biggest part of his game. As he loses a bit of speed, I don't think it'll affect him as much as it would other players. So who knows how far he can go? The concerning issue is that we haven't really got anyone to replace him, so at the moment it looks like he can play for as long as he wants.”

Who will wear England’s No.9 shirt after Kane?

No clear successor to Kane has emerged yet. Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney are among those currently serving as back-up options, while players such as Liam Delap - following his big-money move from Chelsea to Nottingham Forest - will hope to push themselves into contention.

For the moment, England have little reason to worry, with their captain having made it clear that he intends to continue for quite some time. It remains to be seen whether he can complete another four-year World Cup cycle and go past 100 international goals in the process.