Maybe it wasn’t Spurs at all? Cursed Kane’s trophyless run continues at Bayern

Robin Bairner

Updated: 8 May 2024 23:05 BST
3 min read

Harry Kane misses a chance for Bayern against Lazio in the Champions League, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Harry Kane’s decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich last summer was a transfer motivated by the striker’s desire to win trophies.

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And where better to claim silverware than Bayern, a club that had won 11 successive Bundesliga titles prior to his arrival and which had enjoyed a veritable monopoly over their domestic game that was unrivalled in Europe’s major leagues.

At Tottenham, Kane had been thwarted at every turn. Habitually scoring around the 30-goal mark each season, even hitting 41 in the 2017/18 campaign, Kane became recognised as one of the leading goal scorers in football. Glory, though, did not follow.

Tottenham have been the nearly-men of English football over his time with the club, with their last trophy arriving in the form of the 2008 League Cup, while Kane was still honing his talents in the academy.

‘Spursing it’ has even become synonymous with teams that have come close to glory only to fall short in recognition of Tottenham’s unerring ability to fall at the last hurdle.

Bad luck following Kane

But what if it wasn’t Tottenham at all? What if it was Kane who was cursed?

It certainly appears like that, with Bayern’s fortunes falling off a cliff since he arrived in August.

The German Super Cup? Lost. The DFB Pokal? Knocked out by third-tier Saarbrucken. The Bundesliga? Lost to Bayer Leverkusen – a team just as famous in Germany for their inability to win trophies as Tottenham are in England.

Xabi Alonso's side sealed Bundesliga glory with five games to spare after a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen on 14 April, with Bayern suffering several shock defeats in 2024.

Bayern's final shot at silverware was snatched from them by Real Madrid, with Los Blancos staging a late comeback in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal clash to prevail over the Bavarians.

Kane had, strangely, been substituted by departing coach Thomas Tuchel after Bayern had taken a 1-0 lead and looked on helplessly as his side succumbed to a late, late Joselu brace.

As a result, Kane has, incredibly, ended his first season at Bayern without a trophy. The Bavarians had won at least one piece of silverware in every season since 2011, but that run has come to an end following Kane's arrival.

He has done his bit - scoring 44 goals and providing 11 assists in all competitions - but the Kane curse may have denied Bayern this season and England will be fearful of the same happening at this summer's European Championship.