Jude Bellingham has declared Harry Kane the greatest player ever to represent England, after the Bayern Munich forward broke his country's World Cup scoring record during a commanding 2-0 victory over Panama.

Kane reached 11 World Cup goals with a header from Bellingham's cross in the second half, surpassing the previous record of ten held by Gary Lineker. The win confirmed Thomas Tuchel's England as group winners and sent them through to the round of 32.

Bellingham's tribute to Kane

Bellingham, who opened the scoring himself against Panama, was effusive in his praise of his strike partner when asked about their relationship ahead of the knockout stage.

"It's an honour to play with him," Bellingham said. "For me, he's the best England player of all time. He's the one who has showed up more than anyone, more than any England player."

The Real Madrid midfielder credited their bond to years of international partnership, pointing to the 2022 Qatar World Cup as a turning point. "I think I've built a good relationship with Harry over the last four or five years, especially after Qatar, you know, playing so close together," he said.

Bellingham also spoke about Kane's remarkable consistency, adding: "He's at a level at the minute that's just incredible. You don't doubt him at all in terms of whether he's involved, whether he's not. You know he's going to make a difference in the game and he did again today."

England eye DR Congo in round of 32

England will now face DR Congo in their first knockout match, and Bellingham stressed that finishing top of the group was a deliberate ambition from the outset of the tournament.

"We had the goal in mind before the start of the tournament that we wanted to take it in sections," he explained. "And we've kind of achieved our first objective, which was to win the group."

Bellingham added that controlling their route through the bracket was central to England's planning: "Obviously today is important to get the win because we want to be in control of our destiny in terms of the route and where we play."