Harry Kane said watching Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi score heavily at the World Cup pushed Kane to respond, after a two-goal display in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas strengthened control of Group L and maintained England’s perfect record in opening matches at recent tournaments.

England struck four times in a busy attacking display, with Kane hitting both first-half goals before Croatia levelled each time, and Jude Bellingham plus Marcus Rashford then found the net after the break as England’s improved second-half control ensured three points and left Croatia under pressure in the group.

Kane’s brace, made up of a retaken penalty and a powerful header from a Declan Rice corner, meant Kane became only the second England player to score at three separate World Cups – 2018, 2022 and 2026 – matching David Beckham’s achievement from 1998, 2002 and 2006 while also joining Gary Lineker as England’s leading World Cup scorer on 10 goals.

The breakdown of Kane’s World Cup goals shows how consistent Kane has been across tournaments, with six strikes in 2018, two in 2022 and two already in 2026, bringing Kane level with Lineker at the top of England’s World Cup scoring list and underlining the importance of Kane’s contribution in knockout and group stages.

The question about motivation came after a dramatic previous day at the World Cup, when Mbappe scored twice in France’s 3-1 victory over Senegal to become France’s all-time top scorer and move within two goals of the World Cup goals record then held by Miroslav Klose, while Haaland and Messi also delivered standout displays.

Haaland followed Mbappe’s brace with two goals during Norway’s 4-1 win against Iraq in the same group, extending Haaland’s streak of scoring in competitive international matches to 11 consecutive games, before Messi completed the scoring stories by hitting three goals for Argentina in a 3-0 success over Algeria.

Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria meant Messi equalled Klose’s record tally of 16 World Cup goals, and at 38 years old Messi also became the oldest player ever to record a hat-trick at a World Cup finals tournament, highlighting the high standards Kane faced from other leading forwards during this phase of the competition.

Kane explained that those performances were hard to ignore when preparing for Croatia, saying: “Obviously I saw the guys scoring their goals and I don’t like to concentrate too much on other people. But I think it’s naturalas a sportsman, as an athleteto try and reach the highest levels and obviously all those guys started in a great way.

“I think as a striker, obviously I want to get on the scoresheet as early as possible, so I think in the back of my mind, that competition helps me to push my levels. You know, that’s what the World Cup is for, for the best players to perform at the highest levels, so it was nice to get a couple, for sure.”

Harry Kane World Cup win and England’s next fixtures

Beyond individual records, the Croatia result meant England have now won their first match at three successive World Cup tournaments for the first time in their history, doing so during what is England’s 17th appearance at a World Cup finals, which gives England a strong early platform in Group L and boosts confidence inside the squad.

England’s schedule now moves quickly, with Ghana awaiting on matchday two at Boston Stadium on Tuesday before England complete Group L by facing Panama four days later, and Kane believes the group had been eager to finally start their campaign after several days watching other nations play.

Kane described the mood within the camp after the long build-up, saying: “We’ve been waiting long enough to just play the game. We had to wait six days, so I think everyone’s just been itching to get out there.”

The win over Croatia, combined with Kane’s records and the scoring feats of Mbappe, Haaland and Messi, sets an intense standard for the tournament’s forwards, and England now carry momentum, a strong position in Group L and a captain matching major historic marks into the upcoming tests against Ghana and Panama.