England’s all-time record goalscorer, Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer and widely regarded as one of the very best strikers of his generation.
Harry Kane has put together an enviable career and his move to Bayern Munich last year felt guaranteed to scratch the one remaining itch.
Major trophies. Probably lots of them.
However, Bayern have already allowed a couple of paths to silverware to pass them by in 2023/24 and they were soundly beaten 3-0 by undefeated leaders Bayer Leverkusen to fall five points off the pace in the Bundesliga with 13 games of the season remaining.
This situation and the internet being as they are has led to a few mean things being said about Kane and no shortage of mischief-making.
Ladies and gentlemen, meine damen und herren, it’s time to discuss the Harry Kane Curse.
MORE: Harry Kane goals for Bayern Munich: Stats for England star with German club in Bundesliga, Champions League
Harry Kane: England and Tottenham goal stats
After turning 30 last summer, Kane ended a career-long association with Tottenham boasting an unimpeachable record and the status of being the most prolific international player from the country that invented football.
In 435 appearances for Tottenham, Kane scored 280 goals, meaning he replaced the great Jimmy Greaves as the top scorer in Spurs’ history.
He is also out in front for England and continues to stretch his lead. Starring as the inspirational captain for Gareth Southgate’s talent-stacked side, Kane has 62 goals in 89 international caps.
Tottenham all-time top scorers
| Player | Goals | Appearances | |
| 1. | Harry Kane | 280 | 435 |
| 2. | Jimmy Greaves | 268 | 381 |
| 3. | Bobby Smith | 208 | 317 |
| 4. | Martin Chivers | 174 | 367 |
| 5. | Cliff Jones | 159 | 378 |
| 6. | Son Heung-min | 157 | 393 |
England all-time top scorers
| Player | Goals | Appearances | |
| 1. | Harry Kane | 62 | 89 |
| 2. | Wayne Rooney | 53 | 120 |
| 3. | Bobby Charlton | 49 | 106 |
| 4. | Gary Lineker | 48 | 80 |
| 5. | Jimmy Greaves | 44 | 57 |
| 6. | Michael Owen | 40 | 89 |
Harry Kane goals, stats for Bayern Munich
Kane is giving chase to Robert Lewandowski’s single-season Bundesliga scoring record of 41 in a campaign.
He got off to a flying start as he amassed more goals through 10 games than any player in Bundesliga history.
| Season | Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Mins |
| 2023/24 | Bundesliga | 20 | 24 | 5 | 1,772 |
| 2023/24 | UEFA Champions League | 6 | 4 | 3 | 530 |
| 2023/24 | DFB-Pokal | — | — | — | — |
| 2023 | DFL-Supercup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| TOTAL | 27 | 28 | 8 | 2,328 |
Has Harry Kane ever won a trophy?
So, despite all of this, why are some people still making mirth and attempting to paint Kane as some sort of failure?
Again, don’t discount the influence of mischief and meme here, but the striker has never won a major honour at club level in his club or international career. When he’s this good. He must be cursed, right?
There have been a couple of near misses. Spurs were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the 2018/19 Champions League final. Two seasons later, Aymeric Laporte scored the only goal as Manchester City beat Tottenham 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final.
Less than three months later, back at Wembley, Kane suffered an even more heartbreaking reverse as Italy beat England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final.
Kane’s supreme scoring record has led to a succession of Golden Boot successes. He took home the award after the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2020/21 Premier League seasons. England’s run to the semifinals in Russia also saw Kane scoop the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot.
The Bundesliga’s Torschutzenkonige prize feels sure to end up in Kane’s collection at the end of this season. In the first week of February, his haul of 24 goals gave him a lead of seven over Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy.
Bayern Munich 2023/24 season: Will Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga?
So can Kane finally add a collective prize to his haul?
There was a shot at silverware on his debut in the DFL-Supercup, but Bayern were already well on their way to a 3-0 defeat against RB Leipzig by the time Kane came on as a second-half substitute.
The DFB-Pokal is also off the table and, once again, this wasn’t really Kane’s fault. He was an unused substitute as third-tier FC Saarbrücken stunned a much-changed Bayern with a 2-1 victory in the second round.
Thomas Tuchel’s side put their best foot forward in the Champions League, cruising through as winners in a group featuring FC Copenhagen, Galatasaray and Manchester United. Bayern face Serie A side Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in the first leg of a last-16 tie on February 14.
Bayern have won every German championship since Jupp Heynckes’ treble winners swept to glory in 2012/13. Their bid for a 12th in succession has them on 50 points from 20 games, thanks to 16 wins, two draws and two defeats.
However, they are five points behind Xabi Alonso’s inspired Leverkusen, who have 17 wins and four draws from their 21 Bundesliga matches this season. They also won all six of their Europa League group games
Leverkusen needed a last-gasp penalty from Exequiel Palacios to snatch a 2-2 draw when they travelled to the Allianz Arena on September 15, a game where Kane opened the scoring.
The England captain was unable to have a similar impact at the BayArena as the hosts ran out convincing winners. Talk of the Harry Kane Curse will only get louder.
