78 goals in 84 games 

©TM/IMAGO

Not many clubs in world football have higher expectations than German giants Bayern Munich. They have won a record 32 Bundesliga titles, and won the league for 11 consecutive seasons between 2013 and 2023. Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen drew a halt to their domestic dominance last season, but Bayern look set to reclaim the title once again this term. And if they do, prolific striker Harry Kane will be a huge reason why.

The Englishman left Tottenham to join the Bavarians for €95 million in August 2023 to replace the departed Robert Lewandowski, and Kane hasn’t stopped finding the back of the net since. Even though the club did go trophy-less last season, their no.9 still scored 36 goals in 32 Bundesliga matches, as well as eight in 12 in the Champions League. He has shown little signs of his age catching up with him this season, and it looks likely his goals will lead to at least one trophy this term. As well as the Bundesliga, Bayern will be hoping for success in Europe, and take on Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan in this season’s Champions League quarter-finals. The Italian’s have one of the best defences in Europe, and conceded just one goal in eight league phase games this term. But now they face Europe’s most prolific goalscorer.

Harry Kane is Europe’s most prolific striker

As illustrated in the graphic above, no player in Europe’s top-five leagues has scored more goals than Kane’s 78 in 84 games since he became a Bayern player. Not even the robotic Erling Haaland (66 goals), nor the fantastic Kylian Mbappé (77 goals). Such are the astronomical standards at the club, Kane has actually even come under some scrutiny from some sections of the fanbase and media at times for not turning up in the big games. He failed to score from open-play in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Champions League last season, and has just two goals in six against Bundesliga title rivals Leverkusen. However, these criticisms are extremely harsh, and his record in Bayern colours speaks for itself.

When we narrow the parameters down to just the Champions League – the competition many in the world consider to be the pinnacle of football – then we can see that Kane once again beats every other player in the goalscoring department since he has been a Bayern Munich player. The 31 year old has scored 18 goals in 23 matches in Europe’s top competition for the Bavarians. It’s also worth remembering that Kane is not just a goalscorer. His all-round game really developed during later years at Spurs, and he possesses great ability to drop deep and link up play. As well as his monstrous goalscoring, only 16 top-five league players have provided more assists than Kane (24) in all competitions since he moved to the Bundesliga.

Inter Milan are currently top of Serie A, and breezed past Feyenoord in the Champions League round of 16. They are sure to provide a stern test for Bayern Munich, with the first-leg to be played at the Allianz Arena this Tuesday. Once again, the Bavarians will be looking to their no.9 to help pull them over the line, and manager Vincent Kompany will surely be banking on a big performance from his striker. With superb younger talents like Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise around him, Kane won’t have to do it all on his own, but his experience will be crucial.