CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen gave the laudatory speech and oversaw the trophy presentation, as 60 guests including president Herbert Hainer, deputy CEO Michael Diederich, board member for sport Max Eberl, sporting director Christoph Freund and representatives of the German Football League (DFL) applauded: Harry Kane received the Golden Shoe as Europe's top-scoring player in the 2023/24 season at the FC Bayern Museum inside the Allianz Arena.
"Harry is anything but an egomaniac: he's a 360-degree striker, who not only sees the opponents' goal but also his team-mates," said Dreesen in his speech about the FC Bayern striker, who plundered 36 goals in the Bundesliga last season – more than any other player in all the European leagues. "He's a leader, a role model, a popular figure of FC Bayern and he's conquered the hearts of our fans in the truest sense of the word." President Hainer also praised the England captain's performances for the Munich men: "'We're very proud that Harry Kane had such a historically good start at FC Bayern and has been recognised for it with the Golden Shoe. Harry is an absolute role model on and off the field, not just because of his goals. For us overall he's a 'golden' character."
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Kane, who was accompanied by his entire family, spoke after being honoured by Dreesen and kicker editor-in-chief Jörg Jakob in a talk on the stage directly opposite the FC Bayern Museum's Munich ‘Hall of Fame’ and said: "Moving to FC Bayern was one of the best decisions of my life. I would like to thank the club, my team-mates, my family - this is a prize for everyone. I'm standing up here but without the people around me, this kind of success would not be possible" His dream has always been "to play at the highest level I can", he added. "I always look at the next game, the next goal, how I can help my team. FC Bayern is one of the best clubs in the world, I'm looking forward to the new season and sense new energy."
FC Bayern has had its fair share of great strikers in the past, said Dreesen. "For us as FC Bayern, Harry again offers the perfect match between a great club and a great player." Kane is also "a key figure for the German Bundesliga", he pointed out. "When he plays, even more fans across the world watch than usual." The CEO took a short journey back in time to the day of the signing last summer, with the 100,000 fans who tracked Kane's flight from England to Munich and the people who persevered until late in the night at Säbener Straße. His summary: "Those were sleepless weeks, but they were worth it!" Then, in closing, he turned back to the star of the show: "Dear Harry, you achieved great, historic things. Looking around us here in the FC Bayern Museum, we see icons such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, to name a few. You've seamlessly fitted in. You're a part of FC Bayern history, you're a part of the FC Bayern family."
The presentation was led by host Britta Hofmann, while the programme included video clips with a round-up of Kane's goals as well as messages of congratulations from team-mates and companions from his career. Kane is the third FCB player to receive the Golden Shoe after Gerd Müller in 1970 and 1972 and Robert Lewandowski in 2021 and 2022. The prize for the best goalscorer of the season was originally awarded by French football magazine L'Équipe from 1968 to 1991. Since 1997, the European Sports Media association, whose president is Jörg Jakob, has managed the award. Along with Gerd Müller and Lewandowski, legendary strikers such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Francesco Totti, Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Marco van Basten, Hristo Stoichkov and Eusébio have won it. Former Bayern players Roy Makaay and Luca Toni are also on the prominent list of former winners from their time at Deportivo La Coruna and Fiorentina respectively.
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