Harry Kane ended his long wait for the first team trophy of his career as Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title – without playing – on Sunday.
Bayern’s celebrations were dramatically put on hold a day earlier when Yussef Poulsen scored a stoppage-time goal to earn RB Leipzig a 3-3 draw and make the leaders wait.
But Leverkusen, who had to win at Freiburg on Sunday to mathematically stay in the hunt, were held to a 2-2 draw that crowned the Bavarians this weekend after all.
Kane was forced to watch on against RB Leipzig after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season, moving to the touchline in expectation before Poulsen spoiled the party in the 94th minute.
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Yussuf Poulsen scored a dramatic last second goal for RB Leipzig to deny Bayern Munich the chance of winning the Bundesliga title
But the 31-year-old England captain will be back for Saturday’s home game against Monchengladbach as Bayern can look forward to celebrating with their fans at the Allianz.
Kane has played a huge role in securing Bayern’s 34th league crown, topping the Bundesliga scoring charts with 24 goals, but in his 15th season as a pro – and two years after leaving boyhood club Tottenham – he has finally got his hands on silverware.
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Highlights of SC Freiburg’s draw with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
After 11 straight Bundesliga titles, Bayern fell short last season in Kane’s first year with the club, when invincible Bayer Leverkusen finished top. But Bayern have regained the championship this time with two rounds remaining.
Kane, who has lost Champions League and Carabao Cup finals at club level and twice lost European finals with England, has broken goal-scoring records in Germany but now has the team title he has craved.
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, who won the Championship with Burnley in 2022/23, has claimed his first major honour as a manager, while Kane’s former England and Tottenham team-mate Eric Dier is also celebrating the first team trophy of his career.
Kane’s long wait is over – more to come?
Analysis by Sky Sports’ Adam Bate:
It has taken nearly 700 career games for club and country, but Harry Kane finally has his hands on a trophy. It has taken longer than anticipated, not just in his career but in his time at Bayern Munich too. But the Bundesliga title is his – and how he deserves it.
Kane had become a curiosity because of the sheer number of near misses in his career. From that Champions League final defeat with Tottenham to the two European Championship finals with England, even his debut season with Bayern brought nothing.
That was the most chastening experience of the lot given than Kane’s move to Germany was seen as coming with a guarantee of silverware. Bayern had won the title 11 years in a row prior to his arrival. They even lost the Supercup on home turf in his first game.
But throughout it all, the goals have continued to flow for England’s all-time top scorer. He is sure to be the Bundesliga top scorer for a second consecutive season, his strike rate simply astonishing for a player capable of dropping deep and creating for others.
The numbers tell the tale, although there is still a sense of what might have been. The Bundesliga title remains the bare minimum at Bayern. In a year in which the Champions League final will be held in Munich at the end of May, that feeling is felt more strongly.
Kane was bought for this purpose, to improve Bayern, to secure the Champions League that his much-missed predecessor Robert Lewandowski had delivered. Until then, the job is unfinished. But the Bayern supporters know Kane’s worth and appreciate his ability.
Talking to another former Tottenham and Bayern striker Jurgen Klinsmann about Kane recently, he outlined why there is such goodwill towards him. “What he has done extremely well, you know, is that he adapted to Germany, to Bavaria,” said Klinsmann.
“He became part of their lifestyle, part of the city. His family just glided into that kind of way of life there. And he is extremely important to the Bayern side. And he has done a fantastic job from day one on. I am thrilled for him. I mean, I just love watching him.”
At 31, Kane himself is entitled to count himself unfortunate to have had to wait so long. But given his famous drive, one title is unlikely to sate him. The more likely scenario is that it pushes him to go in search of more. Maybe this Bundesliga title is just the start.
