Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich career has got off to a fine start, with the former Spurs star firing in goals for the current Bundesliga champions. Many fans and pundits, though, might argue that the club didn’t pay over €100m just to win a trophy they have won for the past 11 seasons. Kane was brought in to win Europe’s biggest prize.
What Does Kane Bring to Bayern?
The most obvious thing Harry Kane brings to any team is goals. He hit the back of the net 30 times last year for Spurs despite the team underperforming. But he is more than just a poacher. Kane has a great touch, vision and understanding of the game. He’s the complete forward player who can hold the ball up, bring others into play, and even drop deep to build attacks when necessary.
Arguably, Harry Kane was brought in to replace Sadio Mane. The Senegalese wasn’t able to recapture the form from his time at Liverpool in what was an underwhelming year in Munich. But Kane provides more flexibility than Mane due to his ability to influence games from all areas of the pitch. This is the reason why so many football betting markets have Bayern as one of the favourites to land the Champions League.
Quarter Final Stumbling Block
Bayern Munich won the 2020 Champions League final in what was a shortened version of the tournament due to Covid. Since then, they have failed to get past the quarter-final stage, losing to Manchester City last year, Villarreal in 2022 and PSG in 2021.
When Bayern won the Champions League in 2020, Robert Lewandowski was the tournament’s leading scorer with 15 goals. The last time they won it prior to 2020, the Polish striker played against them in the final as Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in 2013.
Lewandowski scored a total of 238 goals in 253 games during his eight years at Bayern. Even then, they often fell short. It could be argued that Lewandowski was just unfortunate that his career has run almost parallel with those of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But with Manchester City threatening to dominate Europe in the same way the Spanish giants have done before, Kane must continue to add value for Bayern if Thomas Tuchel’s men are to get past the quarter-finals and go on to lift the trophy.
Now or Never for Kane
For all he has achieved in the game, Harry Kane has famously failed to win a trophy. Now 30, he signed a four-year contract with Bayern when he joined them in the summer. That’s likely to be his last major contract and, while at least one Bundesliga title is almost inevitable, the player himself must have weighed up the chances of the club winning the Champions League before putting pen to paper.
He may have also considered his past injury record and decided he could extend his playing career by moving to a less intense league. Whatever his reasoning, winning the Bundesliga four times will be seen by many as something the club could have achieved without Kane. But when it comes to winning the Champions League, he might just be the difference Bayern have been looking for.
