Will Harry Kane finally end his trophy drought with Bayern Munich next season?

Harry Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich aimed to put an end to the trophy drought of a world-class player who had previously faced numerous near misses. 

The Englishman can be mentioned in the same bracket as some of the world’s most lethal forwards including, Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, Mohammed Salah, Kylian Mbappe, Romelu Lukaku etc.

However, one proponent that separates Kane from the rest is that the other forwards have enjoyed successful trophy-laden careers, earning silverwares to accompany their outstanding performances.

Kane’s ability is beyond question. A three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, he is second only to Alan Shearer in all-time Premier League goals, with 213 to his name. As the current captain of the England national team, he holds the record for the most goals scored for his country, with 66 goals. Additionally, Kane has scored more goals than any other player in Tottenham Hotspur’s history, cementing his reputation as one of the world’s top strikers.

However, medals are often used as benchmarks when ranking football’s elite, and despite Kane’s accomplishments, his trophy cabinet remains empty. At the club level, he has experienced several near misses—his Tottenham team lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final, were runners-up twice in the English League Cup and came close to winning the Premier League. Yet, Kane and his teammates never managed to secure a title.

Thus, the move to Bayern was seen as a logical progression for a player of his calibre. Bayern, having won the last 11 Bundesliga titles and consistently contending in the Champions League, is a club with a rich history and a winning mentality.

After rising through the ranks at Tottenham, Kane spent years without winning any silverware before transferring to Bayern last summer.

He began his career at Tottenham in 2004, signing a professional contract in 2010. With 280 goals in 435 appearances for Tottenham, the star player solidified his place among the most effective strikers in football. Despite his impressive performances, Kane could not change the unfortunate streak of Tottenham, who have not won a major trophy since the 2008 English League Cup.

England’s goal-machine also failed to clinch a trophy during his loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City, and Leicester City in the early stages of his career.

While at Tottenham, Kane lost three cup finals: to Chelsea in the 2014-2015 season and to Manchester City in the 2020-2021 season in the English League Cup final. The team also lost to Liverpool in the 2018-2019 Champions League final and finished as runners-up in the Premier League in the 2016-2017 season.

As England’s top goalscorer, Kane also faced trophy droughts with the national team. Despite reaching the final of the 2020 European Championship, England lost to Italy. In the 2018-2019 season, the Three Lions also finished third in the UEFA Nations League the following year.

Drought continues

However, even in his 14th professional season, Kane’s quest for trophies remains unfulfilled. Joining the Bavarians at the start of last season, Kane’s hopes for silverware were shattered as Bayern Munich exited all four competitions they participated in.

They suffered a defeat against Leipzig in the German Super Cup at the beginning of the season and were eliminated by Saarbrucken, a third-division team, in the second round of the German Cup.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern fell short with two weeks remaining, finishing 15 points behind Bayer Leverkusen, who clinched the championship.

The club’s Champions League campaign also ended in disappointment, with Bayern being knocked out in the semifinals by La Liga giants Real Madrid.

Despite being the most successful team in German football, Bayern Munich ended a season without a trophy for the first time in 12 years. Fans who buy Bayern Munich tickets couldn’t believe it as despite scoring 44 goals in 45 games, Kane couldn’t guide the team to a trophy.

In the recently concluded Bundesliga season, Kane finished as the top scorer, marking his sixth goal-scoring title. He had previously claimed the Premier League’s top scorer honours in the 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2020-2021 seasons. Additionally, Kane was the leading scorer in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2020 UEFA European Championship Qualifiers.

New start

Now, Bayern have recently confirmed the appointment of Vincent Kompany to spearhead the Bavarians back to glory in the coming season. Could this spell the end of Kane’s trophy-barren career?

The 38-year-old had a disappointing stint at the Premier League with Burnley that saw the Clarets relegated back to the championship just one year after gaining promotion.

However, much emphasis over his appointment is placed on his stint at the EFL championship where he won the title breaking numerous and setting new ones.

His failure in the Premier League is believed to be a lack of personnel over style of play or performances. Kompany has a a unique and expansive style of play that proved successful in the Championship where he had some star players including Nathan Tells and Ian Maatsen who both left the club after promotion.

Kompany entered the Premier League committed to the style that had earned Burnley 101 points in the Championship, earning accolades for their dynamic play. They had the best attack and defence, dominating the league.

His rapid transformation of the team’s style, after a decade under Dyche’s different approach, was notable. It highlighted his skill in managing change, as evidenced by their possession stats, which were the highest since Championship records began.

However, despite considerable summer investments, his team struggled to adapt to the Premier League. The passing game that excelled in the Championship was undone by the superior speed and skill at the higher level, quickly eroding their confidence.

A team like Bayern presents the Belgian manager with some of the best players in diverse positions across the field as they look to stake their claim in the Bundesliga title next season.

However, there remains stiff competition from Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund yet Bayern’s superiority in personnel should hand them the advantage in usurping their rivals next season.

Winning silverware will be a top priority for the new Bayern boss and Kane will look to spearhead the team’s attack in what would be an exciting season.

The team would be more motivated now to make up for a disastrous last season, and they will embrace a much more favourable and expansive style of play that suits the characteristics of the players in the squad.

The German heavyweights are not just stopping there, they are already making remarkable strides in the transfer market to reinforce their squad. The likes of Michael Olise, João Palhinha and Hiroki Ito have all joined to bolster key positions in defence, midfield and attack next season.

Bayern aren’t used to longer stints without the Bundesliga title – they dominated the League by winning the last 11 titles before Bayer Leverkusen ended their reign last season. Next season could yet again see Bayern reclaim their dominance and hand, Kane, the chance to lift his first-ever career title.