Harry Kane was under pressure deep in his own half and lost his balance. But he had seen the photo. Luis Diaz is free in front of him. He hooked a high ball forward and spun into the path of his teammates. Diaz finished off Lenato Karl and Cologne lost.
Kane did not score as Bayern came from behind to win 3-1. That slowed him down from his goal of breaking Robert Lewandowski’s single-season scoring record. The Polish player once scored 41 goals. At midpoint, Kane currently has just 20 points in 17 games.
But as his third goal in Cologne showed, there’s more to his great game than goals. He was passing from deep all the time. The second goal came from a corner kick from a counterattack after stealing the ball inside their own box.
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Kane made a great pass in the build-up to Bayern Munich’s third goal against Cologne
Bayern legend Lothar Matthaus summed up that feeling in a recent column for Sky Sports. “A lot was expected of him, but Kane has exceeded all expectations.” He has scored twice as many goals as any other player in the Bundesliga so far this season.
He still holds the record for most goals from open play, most goals from the penalty spot and most goals from fast breaks. The 32-year-old is arguably the best finisher in football and still finds corners with incredible accuracy. And the numbers back it up.
Goal expectation data shows that while Morgan Rodgers and Harry Wilson continue to do well in the Premier League with their long-range shots, Kane is by far the best player in Europe when it comes to finding the back of the net more than he should.
There are many different forms of leadership in football, and their impact should not be underestimated. Some recall the conversation he had with Bayern’s technical director Marco Neppe at the time of Kane’s signing. He thought that was the factor that brought him in.
“When you have Harry in the dressing room, you know as a player that he is a player who can change the whole game in an instant,” Neppe explained. “Because he’s a goalscorer and he doesn’t need five meters to do it. It just takes one second, just a situation and he scores a goal.”
Kane has scored twice as many goals as any other player in the Bundesliga this season.
Kane had always been clinical in front of goal, but regular observers noticed a change in him. He has grown into this role. “His behavior on and off the pitch is completely different to Kane, who we signed two years ago,” Matthäus said.
Jurgen Klinsmann has also been full of praise for Kane, who has adapted to life at Bayern. “He’s just himself. Humble, down to earth and focused on what’s most important. For him, that’s scoring goals.” But some still wanted more.
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Kane takes his tally of Bundesliga goals to 20 with this stunning goal against Wolfsburg.
Speaking to Kane after he scored the winning goal in August’s Super Cup win against Stuttgart, he seemed aware that Thomas Muller’s departure had placed an even greater burden on him. “He was a great guy, but it gave others an opportunity to step up and be leaders.”
I feel like he’s taking on that responsibility. Indeed, he does more than score goals on the pitch. He scored the opening goal in a narrow win against Borussia Dortmund in October, but his defensive work in the final stages of the game drew attention.
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The game was delayed in Cologne due to smoke, forcing the players and animal mascots to wait!
When it comes to his creativity, when Klinsmann talks about “a system where you get feeds from attacking midfielders,” it’s tempting to think of it the other way around, because Kane, with his extraordinary passing range, often feeds attacking midfielders.
This aspect of his game has long been overlooked. Bayern supporters knew they could score. But the rest are not. “He was brought in as a goalscorer to fill Robert Lewandowski’s role, but Kane is much more than that for the team,” Matthäus said.
Jermai Simpson-Pewsey experienced it firsthand in Cologne. The young English defender, on loan from Manchester City, made his home debut and coped well with the daunting task. He trains with Erling Haaland. Kane is different.
When he drops into that deep space and hits the ball left, right and center, that can be a problem.
Jermai Simpson-Pewsey talks about Harry Kane
“It’s tough because he’s floating so deep,” Simpson Pusey said afterward. “When he’s up top and flying around, we can shuffle across and manage him, but when he drops into deep space and the ball goes left, right and centre, that can be a problem.”
Sure, it may seem like a break for Marker when Kane is roaming around, but the danger remains. He can cause damage to his team from anywhere, ranking in the Bundesliga’s top 10 for through passes and creating big chances. These are not the numbers of a perfect striker.
Kane’s touch map at Bayern Munich in Cologne is not that of a flawless striker
Given all this, is it possible that Kane, England’s captain and all-time leading goalscorer, continues to be underrated both at home and abroad? It is not uncommon to hear that the likes of Jude Bellingham are the real key players for Thomas Tuchel’s England side.
But while there are plenty of attacking midfield options, with all due respect to Ollie Watkins, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck, England have arguably the most complete centre-forward in world football. This point cannot be overstated.
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Perhaps his ruthlessness has left many numb to his numbers and blinded by his brilliance. His longevity is astonishing, but even his place in the Ballon d’Or voting makes world-class seem mundane. I was shortlisted seven times. Never higher than 10th place.
He has reached that ranking three times: in 2017, 2018, and 2024. For context, the initial 30-man shortlist included Gianluigi Buffon and Sergio Ramos. The strikers included Luis Suarez, Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Edin Dzeko.
Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappé were the only players to feature in the 2017 and 2025 lists. What will it take for Kane to reach the podium? Perhaps Champions League or World Cup glory will be needed, but this year gives him the potential for both.
His club and his country are second favorites to win these awards. In the meantime, all he can do is keep producing results. He scores goals and sets up goals for his teammates. That’s what he’s been doing for over 10 years. And it still exceeds all expectations.
