At long last, Harry Kane has secured the first major trophy of his professional career at the age of 31, as Bayern Munich reclaimed the Bundesliga crown following Bayer Leverkusen’s stumble against Freiburg.
The Bavarians had to delay their title celebrations after Yussuf Poulsen’s dramatic 94th-minute equaliser earned RB Leipzig a 2-2 draw on Saturday, temporarily keeping the champagne corked.
However, Bayern’s wait lasted only 24 hours. Leverkusen, last season’s surprise champions, were held to a 2-2 draw at the Europa-Park Stadion on Sunday, paving the way for Bayern to reclaim the Meisterschale.
For Kane, the triumph ends a long and painful wait for silverware. Throughout his career, he had endured several agonizing near-misses, including heartbreaking defeats in the European Championship finals with England in 2021 and 2024, as well as a loss in the 2019 Champions League final with Tottenham Hotspur.
The English striker made a high-profile move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, leaving Spurs as their all-time leading scorer.
But his debut campaign in Germany ended in disappointment as Bayern endured their first trophyless season in over a decade, surrendering their 11-year Bundesliga dominance to Leverkusen.
This season brought more setbacks, including a home defeat to Inter Milan that ended Bayern’s hopes of a Champions League triumph on their own turf. Still, the team rallied domestically and managed to reclaim the Bundesliga title, with Kane playing a pivotal role.
The forward has once again been in sensational form, netting 24 goals in 29 league appearances. He is on course to secure the Golden Boot for a second straight season, having scored 36 goals last term. In November, he made Bundesliga history by becoming the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the competition, achieving the feat in just 43 matches.
While Kane’s goalscoring credentials have never been questioned, this title finally silences the lingering criticism about his lack of silverware.
Before this win, he had featured in five major finals without a trophy, losing two Carabao Cup finals with Spurs in 2015 and 2021, as well as falling short in the Champions League and twice in the European Championships with England.
Tottenham enjoyed fleeting title hopes during Kane’s spell, particularly under Mauricio Pochettino, but consistently fell short, most notably finishing behind Leicester and Arsenal in the 2015/16 season and as runners-up to Chelsea in 2017.
Their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid marked another missed opportunity.
Now, after years of personal accolades and frustration on the big stage, Kane has finally added a league title to his glittering resume—an achievement that may open the floodgates for more success.
