Bayern's 'james Bond' - How Kane Clinched His First Trophy

For each nan goals and individual accolades, Harry Kane has agelong been deed pinch disapproval - that he had ne'er won a trophy pinch nine aliases country.

"There are galore group who, passim my career, only talk astir nan truth I haven't won a title yet," nan England skipper said recently, arsenic Bayern Munich's Bundesliga crown began to look much inevitable. "It would beryllium bully to soundlessness a fewer of them."

Kane moreover saw nan irony successful nan truth his 14-year hold for a elder trophy mightiness extremity while he watched connected from nan stands arsenic Bayern faced RB Leipzig connected Saturday, having been handed a one-game suspension pursuing his 5th yellowish paper of nan play past week.

"It's benignant of my communicative that I'll miss nan Leipzig game," said nan 31-year-old. "But nary worries, I'll observe much than anyone else."

Kane moreover made his measurement to nan touchline fresh to subordinate nan statement until a stoppage-time Leipzig leveller meant nan hold was delayed by a time erstwhile second-placed Bayer Leverkusen drew 2-2 astatine Freiburg connected Sunday.

That saw Vincent Kompany's broadside unafraid nan German title, and intends Kane has yet put to remainder nan conception that a sparkling individual profession whitethorn decorativeness without immoderate silverware.

"I'm thrilled for him because he deserves it truthful much," erstwhile Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur striker Jurgen Klinsmann told BBC Sport.

"He has proven it passim nan past 10 years. His numbers are perfectly insane and he will do that for different mates of years because he's successful apical style still, he's fit, he's hungry.

"I'm really happy for him. I conscionable emotion to watch him."

Kane's profession has not followed nan trajectory 1 mightiness expect for England's all-time grounds goalscorer. As an under-14s subordinate astatine Tottenham, according to erstwhile younker coach Alex Inglethorpe, he "wasn't moreover connected nan podium" erstwhile it came to nan age-group's apical talents.

He was still a younker subordinate nan past clip Spurs won a trophy, nan League Cup successful 2008, but earned his breakthrough pinch nan first-team squad and signed his first master woody successful July 2010. Then location were hard-grafting indebtedness spells pinch Leyton Orient successful League One and successful nan Championship pinch Millwall, Norwich and Leicester.

Once Kane established himself astatine White Hart Lane, he blossomed into Spurs' champion homegrown subordinate of a generation, becoming nan club's all-time apical scorer pinch 280 goals successful 435 games and climbing to 2nd successful nan Premier League ranks pinch 213, down only Alan Shearer's 260.

Yet for each nan goals, and 3 Premier League Golden Boots, a decade successful lilywhite yielded only a bid of near-misses - a Champions League last conclusion by Liverpool, doubly runners-up successful nan League Cup and beaten to nan title successful successive seasons by Leicester and Chelsea.

That communicative repeated itself pinch England, arsenic they were runners-up astatine nan past 2 European Championships and beaten successful nan 2018 World Cup semi-final by Croatia, contempt Kane winning nan Golden Boot successful Russia 7 years agone and finishing arsenic associated top-scorer astatine past summer's Euros.

"I ever said that if Harry leaves Spurs, he will get nan opportunity to triumph titles," added Klinsmann, who besides won his only title aft leaving Tottenham for Bayern successful 1995.

Indeed, trophies seemed for illustration a foregone conclusion erstwhile Kane joined Bayern for an first 100m euros (£86.4m) successful August 2023 - a nine who had won 11 successive Bundesliga titles earlier his arrival.

Kane moreover had a changeable astatine silverware connected his debut, but Bayern mislaid 3-0 to RB Leipzig successful nan German Super Cup astatine Allianz Arena pinch nan England skipper coming disconnected nan chair for nan last half hour.

Was he cursed? When Bayern were past knocked retired of nan German Cup by third-tier Saarbrucken, immoderate whitethorn person believed so.

Leverkusen ran distant pinch nan convention arsenic Bayern vanished third, their lowest position since 2011, while Thomas Tuchel's broadside were beaten by eventual winners Real Madrid successful nan Champions League semi-finals.

"People made bad jokes astir him," explained Taufig Khalil, commentator for ARD Radio.

"Bayern Munich won nan German title 11 years successful a row, Harry Kane came for 100m-plus and nan adjacent play Bayern Munich did not triumph a azygous trophy!

"It was reliable for him. He came to Munich because he knew this is nan nine wherever you tin triumph trophies, wherever you will beryllium connected top. And past he came and it was a very bad play past year."

Kane ne'er wavered successful his desire to support improving aft becoming nan Bundesliga's grounds signing. He said precocious astir studying nan game's greats and having nan thrust to consistently beryllium 1 of nan world's best.

He has dealt pinch nan unit of fundamentally replacing Robert Lewandowski, who near successful 2022 arsenic Bayern's 2nd all-time scorer down Gerd Muller.

"Bayern Munich has a immense contented of number nines," explained Klinsmann.

"There is ever a typical oculus connected them. To capable that spot is conscionable an honour. It's thing very special. He knows that he is followed intimately by everyone."

And not conscionable successful Munich - Khalil said rival fans spot it arsenic a privilege to person Kane successful Germany: "When nan skipper of nan Three Lions is playing successful nan Bundesliga - wow, that's big!"

Yet location is nary superstar ego connected boy from eastbound London.

He is regarded arsenic incredibly master and a leader among nan squad - a subordinate a batch of his younger team-mates look up to and personification who is very respectful, whether that beryllium successful training aliases completing nan galore media and partner obligations that travel pinch representing a European elephantine for illustration Bayern.

"He has a royal approach," added Khalil. "When he enters nan stadium, he greets everybody, he is very friendly. If location is simply a infinitesimal he doesn't want to talk successful nan mixed zone, past he excuses himself. A batch of different players locomotion done pinch headphones connected aliases usage nan telephone and effort not to look successful nan eyes of nan media.

"Normally he stops, he is ever fresh to talk. He is an perfectly starring personification successful that club. He gives a batch of that James Bond gratitude - he is nan striker pinch nan licence to score!"

Kane has thrown himself into life successful Munich, embracing nan culture, trips to Oktoberfest, visiting supporters' clubs and taking German lessons, moreover if he has antecedently joked his kids will study nan connection earlier him.

"What he's done highly good is accommodate to Bavaria pinch truthful overmuch ease," said Klinsmann. "He became portion of nan lifestyle, nan metropolis and his family conscionable fresh into nan measurement of life there.

"It's an world place, Munich, truthful it's not excessively problematic but still, you've sewage to spell to different state and support your work-rate astatine nan highest level while figuring retired that your family are comfortable and having a bully time."

He is popular, too. Kane quickly struck up a relationship pinch Bayern's all-time starring appearance-maker Thomas Muller, who will time off astatine nan extremity of nan season, and is known to play play pinch nan Germany guardant and midfielder Konrad Laimer, among others.

Naturally, he is besides bully friends pinch erstwhile Spurs team-mate Eric Dier, different subordinate well-liked passim nan squad, pinch some England internationals regarded arsenic being important to squad chemistry astatine Bayern.

"The group emotion him," added Klinsmann. "He is conscionable himself. He is humble and down to earth. He focuses connected what is important and for him, that is scoring goals."

After six last defeats - 3 pinch Spurs, 2 pinch England and 1 pinch Bayern - nan humble yet ruthless goal-getter's perseverance has paid off.

Kane's first Bundesliga title is Bayern Munich's 33rd, but location tin beryllium nary doubting nan Englishman's value to Kompany's side.

"It helps erstwhile you person a apical subordinate who wants to tally and conflict for nan squad for illustration a younker player," said nan erstwhile Manchester City and Belgium captain. "I played against him arsenic an force and he has go amended pinch age."

Kane is nan division's apical scorer pinch 24 goals and has 36 successful each competitions this season, having scored 11 successful nan Champions League.

That was a title successful which Bayern were hopeless to scope nan last astatine their location stadium successful Munich, but Kane missed a large chance successful nan quarter-final first limb against Inter and, contempt scoring successful nan return successful Milan, they were knocked out.

"At nan end, we talked pinch him and he said, 'yeah, everybody is correct to expect maine to make that goal, I didn't do it, that's fate,'" said Khalil, shrugging disconnected critics who propose Kane does not people successful "big games".

"Whenever location are bad moments, aft nan match, successful nan mixed zone, Harry walks done and he stops, he is talking, he accepts nan situation."

Bayern were besides knocked retired of nan German Cup by Leverkusen, but successful nan Bundesliga - barroom a little wobble successful March erstwhile they mislaid astatine location to lowly Bochum - Kompany's side, pinch Kane astatine its heart, person led from nan front.

His shape during this title tally is simply a continuation of what began successful his debut season, wherever he netted 36 times - only Gerd Muller and Lewandowski person scored much successful a azygous Bundesliga campaign.

"The squad clicks good pinch nan players astir him," said Klinsmann. "He plays successful a strategy that he's getting fed by attacking midfielders.

"He's highly important to nan Bayern broadside and he's done a awesome occupation from time one."

In April, he became nan fastest subordinate to deed 60 goals successful nan competition, doing truthful successful 60 appearances to break Erling Haaland's grounds by 5 games. He besides registered 15 assists successful that clip to mean a extremity engagement each 72 minutes.

"He fights, he works, he scores an unthinkable number of goals," added Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness. "No-one deserves it much than him."

Khalil believes much trophies will travel for Kane, and Bayern's attraction will soon move to winning nan Fifa Club World Cup successful nan United States this summer.

"The infinitesimal Bayern Munich went retired of nan Champions League, they started to talk astir nan Club World Cup," he said. "It's different large trophy, an world trophy, and they would make a batch of money."

That could play a domiciled successful Kane's early and whether Bayern tin spend to adhd wide linked, but expensive, target Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

"Everybody wants him to stay," said Khalil, pinch Kane's statement moving until 2027.

"The mobility is, would Florian Wirtz together pinch Jamal Musiala, nan 2 German youngsters playing broadside by side, activity pinch a cardinal container striker and really overmuch money do you want to walk connected Harry Kane for adjacent season?

"For me, that's stupid, I decidedly spot him adjacent twelvemonth successful nan Bundesliga. They person to find different measurement to finance Florian Wirtz.

"I deliberation we will spot Harry Kane for astatine slightest different year."

Additional reporting by Charlotte Coates.