Servus and a warm welcome, Harry Kane! The captain of the England national team is now an FC Bayern player after signing a contract until 2027. fcbayern.com presents the new arrival.
Complete number nine of world-class quality
In Harry Kane, one of the best strikers in Premier League history is moving to FCB. He's two-footed, an outstanding finisher and extremely strong in the air. At 1.88 metres tall, the 30-year-old is a model athlete and has an unmatched goalscoring instinct. Last season alone, he plundered 30 goals in 38 league games, with only Erling Haaland (36) of Manchester City scoring more. While the Norwegian benefited from having the best providers behind him, Kane impressed in particular with his efficiency. His big chance conversion in the Premier League last term was an impressive 65% (22 out of 34) - no other player with more than a dozen 'big chances' came close (Haaland converted 53%, by way of comparison).
No stopping him: Harry Kane was on the scoresheet 30 times in the last Premier League season.
The feeling of scoring a goal is like an "adrenaline rush" for him, revealed Kane in a recent Interview with Sky. "There's nothing like it." He's experienced this special moment 213 times already in England's top flight - only Alan Shearer (260) stands ahead of him in the list of all-time Premier League goalscorers. His recipe for success? A good mix: "You need talent, the eye for goal, the instinct to be In the right place at the right time," explained Kane. "But a lot of it's also hard work. I worked hard for 10, 15 years to be as good as I am now."
From loanee to icon at hometown club
Kane was born on 28 July 1993 in Walthamstow, London, where he attended Chingford Foundation School, whose alumni include one of his role models, David Beckham. He took his first footballing steps - initially as a midfielder - at Ridgeway Rovers, Arsenal and then Watford, before making his way to Tottenham Hotspur in 2004. It was a move that was meant to be. "The majority of my family were Spurs fans, and I grew up 15 minutes from the stadium," the forward later recalled.
Kane was at Spurs for almost 20 years and grew into a living legend there.
He progressed through all the youth teams with the Lilywhites before signing his first professional contract in July 2010. In order to gain more match experience, he had a number of loan spells at the start of his career at lower-league clubs like Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City. During this time, though, he also made his senior debut for Spurs, starting in the Europa League play-off against Heart of Midlothian in August 2011. From summer 2013, the striker was a permanent member of the North Londoners' first team and blossomed into a pillar of the team. Since the 2014/15 campaign, he's been Spurs' leading scorer in all competitions at the end of every season, and he's even claimed the Golden Boot award in arguably the strongest league in the world three times (2016, 2017 and 2021). Kane has never lost his eye for his team-mates, either: as well as countless goals, he's registered 46 direct assists in 320 Premier League appearances.
Kane was loaned out to second-division side Leicester City for the second half of the 2012/13 season, before eventually making his breakthrough at Tottenham.
The dream of trophies
"I want to become a club legend," declared the star striker in 2015. And there's no question he's fulfilled that wish. Kane's winner against Manchester City in early February was his 267th competitive goal for Spurs (now 280), which saw him overtake club legend Jimmy Greaves (266) as the record holder. However, despite numerous individual accolades and awards, one other dream has so far eluded him. Spurs were Premier League runners-up in 2017 - thanks in no small part to Kane's goals - and reached the final of the League Cup in both 2015 and 2021 as well as the Champions League final in 2019, but he's never got his hands on a trophy. The aim is for that to change in Munich now. "Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I’ve always said that I want to compete and prove myself at the highest level during my career. This club is defined by its winning mentality," said the new signing upon his arrival at the German record champions.
Close to the biggest title: Kane and Co lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final.
Three Lions' record goalscorer
Kane has been similarly prolific at international level. On his debut for the Three Lions against Lithuania in March 2015, he scored just 79 seconds after coming on, the fastest goal by an England debutant since 1951, when then Tottenham legend Bill Nicholson netted inside the first minute of his first international. The brawny striker has captained his country since 2018 and led the team to the semi-finals of the World Cup that year as the tournament's top scorer (six goals). At EURO 2020, he reached his first major final with England. Kane featured in all seven matches but then suffered penalty shootout heartbreak in the final against Italy at Wembley.
With 58 goals in 84 games, he's now also the record goalscorer for his country. Despite all his success, he remains humble. As thanks for helping him to break the record, he presented all his England colleagues with a framed vinyl record. "I couldn't have broken the England all-time goalscoring record without the support of my team-mates and managers who have helped me along the way. This gift is a massive thank you from me to all those who I've shared a changing room with since my debut,“ he wrote afterwards.
Family man and football lover
American football player and enthusiast: Kane attended the Superbowl in the USA in 2019.
Away from the pitch, the married father of four, who named Tottenham legend Teddy Sheringham and hardman Roy Keane as his childhood idols, is also known for his down-to-earth nature. Besides football, he loves golf and American football – which is why his two labradors are named Brady and Wilson after quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. His passion for American football goes so far that he wants to one day walk out as a kicker in the NFL. “It would be a lot of practice, a lot of hard work,“ Kane recently said in an interview on American television. “But yeah, it's something I'd love to do. The NFL is something I have been following for about 10 years now, and I love it, so I would love to give it a go." But until then, the world-class striker is going on the hunt for goals and titles with Bayern.
All the info on the signing of the Englishman:
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