Gary Lineker watched from a Netflix studio as Harry Kane’s header in the 67th minute of a laboured 2-0 win against Panama in New Jersey made him England’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup — and promptly hit the off button on his remote when Micah Richards started celebrating. “Harry, Harry I absolutely love you,” Richards hailed via video link. “Gary is no more, he’s not relevant any more, he’s irrelevant.” “Shut the f*** up, will you?” Lineker retorted, before quickly rowing back and letting Richards back in. “I’ll let you back because it’s really late there,” he explained.
Kane’s header was his 11th goal at a World Cup, eclipsing Lineker’s record of 10 which had stood since 1990. The Bayern Munich striker, who has now scored at three World Cups — only the second England men’s player to do so alongside David Beckham — had earlier won the Golden Boot with six in Russia eight years ago and scored two in Qatar. This tournament he has three. After the match, Kane sent Lineker a message: “Sorry Gary, I’m one ahead of you now.” Lineker responded: “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.”
“Harry Kane's 11th World Cup goal breaks Gary Lineker's record as England beat Panama 2-0 and face DR Congo next.”
Kane’s goal, combined with Jude Bellingham’s earlier strike, secured England’s 2-0 victory and confirmed them as winners of Group L. Thomas Tuchel’s side will now face DR Congo in the round of 32 on Wednesday. The win was laboured, but it was enough.
Off the pitch, another story was brewing. Elliot Anderson, the 23-year-old midfielder who has become an integral part of Tuchel’s World Cup plans, is on the brink of a club-record £116m move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City. Anderson emerged through Newcastle United’s academy but was sold to Forest for £30m in July 2024 because Newcastle feared breaking profit and sustainability rules. Eddie Howe called that sale “the most reluctant in my career”. Now City are backing him to be a winner. Tuchel calls him “the full package”. Anderson’s journey has taken him from schoolboy prodigy at Valley Gardens Middle School and Wallsend Boys’ Club — where Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and Michael Carrick also learned their craft — to the World Cup stage and now a record transfer.
Once a player Scotland hoped to call up (he has a Scottish grandmother and was even called up for Euro 2024 qualifiers before pulling out), Anderson pledged his allegiance to England. He used to kick a ball around with his two elder brothers, Louie and Wil — Wil later gained prominence as a Love Island contestant. His former English and PE teacher Jonathan Roys recalled: “His brothers were decent, but I think being the youngest of three he was used to getting bossed about a little bit, but he took no quarter off anybody. He’d get stuck right in.” Anderson captained and scored a hat-trick when Valley Gardens won the English leg of the Danone Nations Cup in 2014.
As England prepare for DR Congo, they do so with Kane now standing alone at the top of the World Cup scoring chart and Anderson poised to become the most expensive signing in the club’s history.