Shearer scored 260 goals in 441 Premier League matches for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. Kane scored 213 times in 320 league games for Spurs.
With Kane still 47 short of Shearer’s record, it would need a spectacular late-career flourish for him to eclipse the Geordie icon’s tally to write another entry into the history books, which also have him as England’s highest scorer with 91 goals from a record-equalling 125 caps.
What will be of huge interest to Thomas Tuchel – the coach who took him to Bayern and now leads England – is that Kane has delivered a clear indication that Euro 2028, to be played in the UK and Ireland, is firmly in his sights.
And, when this new deal expires, Kane is also only a year away from the 2030 World Cup, to be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with special centenary opening matches held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
This, of course, is a stretch given the inevitable rigours of age, but few who know Kane, who have watched him move to a new level at Bayern, would ever say never to such a driven personality, hiding fierce mental strength and a competitive instinct behind his humble ‘anti-superstar’ persona.
Sutton said: “Euro 2028 certainly shouldn’t be a problem and who knows beyond that? If Harry has got players around him with pace and dynamism, as well as runners in and around him, then his football brain isn’t going to change and he can still play a huge part.
“He’s such a sharp, quick, thinker. He reads the game superbly, knows where his next pass is going and has shown an ability to drop deep and impact the game.
“Harry just seems to be getting better and more rounded with age. And as for age, just look at someone like Teddy Sheringham. He was playing and scoring goals for West Ham United in the Premier League in his 40s.
“Sheringham was an incredibly talented player with supreme intelligence. Harry Kane falls right into the same category.
“Ronaldo has just retired from international football with Portugal at 41, but he is a totally different player than Harry Kane. Harry is one who can drop a little bit deeper to use his incredible ability and range of passing.
“As well as that ability, it is about how Harry’s football brain works as much as anything and that won’t change with age.”