Harry Kane was the hero once again for England as he scored twice late on to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat in the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match against DR Congo on Wednesday, taking his goalscoring to new heights.With his goals in the 75th and 86th minutes granting England a 2–1 victory in Atlanta, Kane overtook the great Pelé on the all-time World Cup goalscoring charts. England’s captain now has 13 across three tournaments, one more than the Brazilian legend, and will have his eye on becoming the first-ever player to claim two World Cup Golden Boots.Having won the tournament’s top scorer award in 2018, Kane is currently sitting just a goal behind Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, who lead the way this summer with six each.The man who assisted both of Kane’s goals against DR Congo, Anthony Gordon, was full of praise for the match-winning striker afterwards—comparing Kane’s goalscoring feats to those of Messi.“It’s amazing to be around him every day because when you’re around someone at the elite level, he’s at the very, very top of football,” Gordon said after the match. “He’s having a season that's only ever been beat by Leo Messi, the greatest footballer of all time. So that speaks to the level he’s playing at.“When you’re around someone like that, you want to pick up as many habits and watch everything he does to see why he’s at that level. It’s no accident. It’s consistency every day: how hard he works, every finishing drill, he does it with passion, he does it with seriousness. He never, ever misses a beat. It's amazing to be around him. He’s definitely an inspiration to all of us.”How Many Goals Does Kane Have This Season?Harry Edward Kane. pic.twitter.com/cSbege8Gow— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) July 1, 2026Kane’s match-winning brace took him to five 2026 World Cup goals and a staggering 72 and counting for club and country across the 2025–26 season (61 for Bayern Munich, 11 for England).It’s a mind-boggling total for the striker who end the domestic season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 36 in just 31 games, as well as 14 in 13 in the Champions League, 10 in the DFB Pokal and one in Germany’s Supercup.As well as his efforts at the World Cup, Kane has another six goals this season while playing for England in friendlies and qualifiers.What Is Messi’s Goals Record in a Season?Lionel Messi’s 2011–12 season may never be topped. | AOP.Press/Corbis via Getty ImagesAs alluded to by Gordon after the win over DR Congo, Kane’s statistics put him in elite company.With his double, Kane became only the second player in football history to surpass the 70-goal mark in a single season for club and country. By doing so, he also eclipsed five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo's finest-ever goalscoring season, which ended with 69 strikes back in 2011–12.Messi is the only player to have scored more times than Kane in a season, bagging 82 goals (also in 2011–12) in just 69 appearances.Messi’s goal tally from that season breaks down as 50 in La Liga, 14 in the Champions League, and added nine more goals across other club competitions. Perhaps most amazingly, the Argentina forward’s record-setting total was achieved in a year without a major tournament and his nine international goals were scored in qualifiers and friendlies.Messi also holds the record for most goals in a calendar year with a mind-bending 91 scored across 12 months in 2012—a near insurmountable feat.What Other Records Could Kane Break?Harry Kane has more targets in his sights. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images.With a maximum of only four more games to score 10 more goals this summer, the chances of Kane matching Messi’s all-time record are very slim. However, there are other targets in well within his sights.Should England make it to the quarterfinals, Kane—assuming he features in the next two games—will draw level Wayne Rooney as England’s second highest appearance maker on 120 caps.Kane is also one of only two Englishmen ever to have won a World Cup Golden Boot (2018), alongside Gary Lineker (1986). Should he claim another this summer, he will become the first player of any nationality to win the trophy twice.Cementing his place alongside World Cup greats, Kane would go level with Miroslav Klose as the third-highest scorer in World Cup history (on 16 goals) if he manages three more goals at this tournament.Surely though, the big prize on Kane’s mind is the World Cup trophy itself.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow