Kane found himself relegated to the bench as Real Madrid orchestrated a remarkable comeback, dealing Bayern Munich a blow with their first trophyless season since 2011-12. The 30-year-old English striker remains in pursuit of his inaugural major title.
Some narratives seem to unfold effortlessly: Harry Kane's transfer to Bayern Munich was anticipated to mark his inaugural trophy win, only for Bayern to endure their first trophyless season in 12 years. While it's hardly evidence of a curse—having departed Tottenham without breaking their silverware drought—Kane's presence in Germany coincided with an unexpected downturn for the typically dominant Bayern.
This isn't a fair or accurate assessment, though. Despite Kane's debut season yielding several individual accolades and a personal best in goal-scoring, the elusive major title continues to elude the 30-year-old. Despite optimistic hopes last summer, the trophy shelf remains bare after Real Madrid dashed Bayern's Champions League aspirations in the semi-finals.
Was it a season of failure, then? Kane was confronted with the possibility of ending the year without silverware before the Arsenal clash in the quarter-finals, and his response was resolute: "Absolutely not. We're expected to win."
However, for the first time since 2011-12, Bayern fell short of that expectation. Real Madrid stunned the German giants with a late surge at the Bernabeu. For Kane, the moment was particularly agonizing, as he was substituted by Thomas Tuchel with Bayern in the lead. Kane was on the brink of a Wembley appearance, but could only watch as Joselu emerged from the bench to secure Madrid's victory with a dramatic brace.asma
The Champions League represented Bayern's final opportunity to claim silverware. Their stronghold on the Bundesliga had already slipped, as Bayer Leverkusen ended Bayern's unprecedented streak of 11 consecutive league titles with five games remaining. There was no German Cup redemption either – a defeat to underdogs Saarbrucken in November marked one of the biggest upsets in DFB Pokal history. With five weeks left, Bayern had little left to vie for domestically, except pride.
However, in Bavaria, pride is currently in short supply after a humbling few months. In the modern landscape of European football, where wealth is concentrated among a select group of elite clubs, Bayern was once deemed too monumental to falter. Their illustrious history as six-time European champions and economic dominance over the rest of Germany made league titles seem like a given, even in a down year, with another Bundesliga crown for 'FC Hollywood' almost expected. Despite their on and off-field challenges in 2024, Bayern were arguably even worse off 12 months prior, yet still clinched the league title when Borussia Dortmund stumbled on the final day. It epitomized Bayern's aura of inevitability.
For Kane, the downfall of his new club's supremacy is a bitter irony in a year that saw the England captain solidify his status as one of the world's premier strikers. Kane has enjoyed an exceptional debut season, netting 44 goals in 45 appearances for Bayern across all competitions, a personal best. His tally of 36 Bundesliga goals already stands as a record for a debut season in Germany. By May's end, it's likely that only Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Muller – the two most prolific goal scorers in German football history – will have surpassed Kane's goal tally in a single year. Regardless of silverware, it remains one of the most remarkable campaigns by an English player abroad, an unprecedented goal-scoring feat for a debut year on the continent.
However, Kane had also been prolific at Tottenham, consistently finding the back of the net. It was his desire for trophies, coupled with the realization that it was unlikely to materialize at Spurs, that ultimately led him to consider departing from his childhood club. At Bayern, the prospect of winning trophies seemed almost assured.
Yet, Kane's debut season coincided with Bayern's decline from their dominant position, amidst a broader trend of regression culminating in a stark decline at the Allianz Arena. There were warning signs, notably when Bayern dismissed former goalkeeper and CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic just days after clinching the Bundesliga title on goal difference last May. While the record-breaking €100m acquisition of a superstar like Kane momentarily pacified the disgruntled supporters, it also heightened pressure on Tuchel as Bayern encountered a rising force elsewhere.
It must be acknowledged that the remarkable achievements of Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen have played a significant role in Bayern's downturn. Following their first-ever Bundesliga title in the club's 120-year history, Leverkusen is on course to complete an unbeaten season – a feat unmatched even by Bayern in German football history. Even the most formidable Bayern sides may have struggled to match Leverkusen's points tally, and a resounding defeat to Alonso's team in February was emblematic of the shift: Leverkusen, united under Alonso's leadership and tactical acumen, dominated while Tuchel's side floundered, with Kane barely making an impact as Bayern's invincibility waned in a 3-0 defeat.
Kane will be under new management come summer – it seems futile for Tuchel to persist in his troubled tenure until season's end. Further changes may loom: Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer, stalwarts of the once-dominant squad, are now on the wane. Meanwhile, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Joshua Kimmich are bound to attract interest elsewhere, potentially preferring to explore their options. A bruised Bayern must embark on a rebuilding phase, while Leverkusen, with Alonso committed to their cause as they rejoin the Champions League, may strengthen further. For once, Bayern will find themselves in the role of challenger in the title race next season.
The irony lies in the fact that after spending 4,369 days at Tottenham without lifting a trophy, Kane had the opportunity to do so on his very first day at Bayern. However, Kane's inaugural touch as a Bayern player came when they were already trailing 3-0 to RB Leipzig in the season-opening German Super Cup final. While it may have held little significance, it marked the beginning of a campaign where Bayern's defeats, though infrequent, were catastrophic when they did occur: to third-tier Saarbrucken, in the 5-1 defeat at Frankfurt, and the 3-0 loss at Leverkusen, as well as against struggling Bochum and newly promoted Heidenheim in April, relinquishing their status as German champions.
Every era eventually concludes, yet Bayern's collapse has brought disgrace upon a once-proud club. Perhaps Kane and his goal-scoring prowess spared Bayern from further humiliation; after all, Musiala, with 13 goals, and Leroy Sane, with 10, are the only other Bayern players to have reached double figures in all competitions. This fact rendered his substitution at the Bernabeu even more perplexing.
However, despite sweeping the club's player of the year awards and securing the Bundesliga golden boot, these accolades will offer little solace to Kane as he reflects on Bayern's season-ending debacle and the altered power dynamics in German football. Furthermore, unless the English captain can guide his country to glory in the Euros hosted by Germany this summer, there is now no assurance that Kane's trophy drought will conclude next year either.