Finally! Harry Kane breaks the trophy curse as Bayern seal Bundesliga glory

The persistent question mark hanging over one of modern football's most accomplished careers has finally been erased. Harry Kane, England's record goalscorer and a striker revered globally, is now a league champion. Bayern Munich have been confirmed as winners of the 2024-25 Bundesliga title, securing the first major team silverware of Kane's illustrious journey. The Bavarian giants wrapped up their staggering 12th domestic crown in 13 seasons after last year's champions, Bayer Leverkusen, could only manage a 2-2 draw away at Freiburg, mathematically ending the title race.

For years, the narrative surrounding the 31-year-old Kane centred on a strange paradox: undisputed individual brilliance contrasted with a barren trophy cabinet at the team level. Since breaking through over a decade ago, he has meticulously honed his craft, becoming far more than just a predatory finisher. Kane evolved into a unique blend of a classic No. 9, lethal in front of goal, and a creative No. 10, capable of dropping deep to orchestrate play with exceptional vision and passing range.

His goalscoring statistics are monumental. He shattered Jimmy Greaves' long-standing record to become Tottenham Hotspur's all-time leading scorer with 280 goals. For England, he has surged past Wayne Rooney, currently boasting 71 international goals and showing no signs of stopping. Individual accolades have piled up: three Premier League Golden Boots, the World Cup Golden Boot in 2018, and even the European Golden Shoe after topping the Bundesliga scoring charts in his debut season with Bayern. Yet, until now, a major team honour remained stubbornly out of reach.

Kane came agonisingly close numerous time...

Much of this was circumstantial, having spent the bulk of his prime at a Tottenham that consistently punched above its weight but rarely sustained challenges for top honours. Still, Kane came agonisingly close on numerous occasions. There were League Cup final defeats for Spurs against Chelsea (2015) and Manchester City (2021). Perhaps most painfully, the 2019 Champions League final saw a Liverpool overcome Spurs, with Kane playing but visibly hampered after returning from an ankle injury. His first season at Bayern also ended in disappointment as Bayer Leverkusen produced a stunning campaign to win the title.

Internationally, the story was similar. Kane led England to the brink of glory, spearheading runs deep into tournaments, only for the final hurdle to prove insurmountable. He was instrumental in reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the Euro 2020 final, often carrying the goalscoring burden, but England fell short against Croatia and Italy respectively. Finals and late-stage tournament games often saw Kane looking burdened, sometimes hampered by fitness issues after long seasons, leading to unfair critiques about his big-game impact despite his crucial contributions in getting his teams there.

The move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 was widely seen as a clear statement of intent – joining a serial winner to finally claim those elusive medals. Now, less than two years later, that ambition has been realised with the Bundesliga title. The relentless drive and unwavering commitment to improvement that took Kane from loan spells to the pinnacle of goalscoring has ultimately led him to silverware. With this drought emphatically broken and several peak years potentially still ahead, few would bet against Harry Kane adding more team honours to his now-complete CV.