The Boro striker who was hotter than Harry Kane

It was his 28th goal in 43 appearances, and moved him to equal 11th in the all-time England high scorers list alongside a North-East footballing legend, Steve Bloomer.

England's Harry Kane scores his side's sixth goal of the game during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria. Picture: PA

Bloomer was playing for Middlesbrough when his prolific international career came to an end on April 6, 1907, at St James’ Park, Newcastle, in a match against Scotland.

The Scots had taken the lead in the second minute when the England captain, Robert Crompton, “to his mortification”, according to The Northern Echo, had sliced the ball into his own net.

Just before half-time, Bloomer equalised. "The great Stephen met the ball and swung it into the net with a fine, agile movement," reported the Echo. "This was Bloomer's 23rd international match and it was distinguished by his 28th goal, " said the Echo. "What a record!”

Steve Bloomer, pictured here on a signed photograph in his England strip

Indeed it was – an astonishing ratio. Referring to the Football Association chairman, Sir Charles Clegg who was known as “the Napoleon of Football”, the Echo said: “Mr Clegg, after the dinner, paid a fitting tribute to the 'evergreen' in assuring him he had never scored a finer goal for England than he had done that day."

Bloomer’s most prolific days were when he was at Derby County, where he regularly topped the top division goalscoring charts. He scored in each of his first ten internationals – a record still unmatched – and had 25 goals in his first 14 caps.

He signed for Middlesbrough in 1906 for £750 and joined the team which included Alf Common, who the year before Boro had made the first £1,000 footballer as they tried to buy their way out of trouble. The FA believed they were colluding to have Bury relegated and so introduced a £350 transfer cap and fined the Boro chairman, Lt-Col Thomas Gibson Poole £50 for keeping the books so badly – Poole, the mayor of Middlesbrough, was probably also trying to buy himself votes so he could become the local Conservative MP.

Bloomer, who was known to his teammates as “Paleface” because he had a permanently unhealthy hue, was banned for two matches for accepting an illegal £10 signing-on fee, but he stayed for four years, scoring 62 goals in 130 games and helping Boro to their highest finish in Division One.

In retirement, he went to coach the German Olympic football team, but three weeks after his arrival, the First World War broke out and he was interned in a Prisoner of War camp for the duration.

The Echo’s report of his last international suggests he should still be one goal ahead of Harry Kane, because near the end of the match “the prodigious Bloomer” went “sailing away for a certain score” which would have sent Scotland crashing to defeat.

But the referee, Tom Robertson, whistled for offside, leaving Bloomer fuming, silently pointing out "the geographical position of the men in front of him".

"I have no doubt it caused Bloomer to think things," wrote the Echo’s reporter. "In fact I know it did."

Those things were that referee Robertson was Scottish, and by halting England’s top marksman in his tracks, he ensured that Scots emerged from the match with a creditable 1-1 draw. Football was dirty then, but least not as disgusting as it was in Bulgaria on Monday.