Harry Kane is deep inside his own half, under pressure and off balance. But he has seen the picture. Luis Diaz is free ahead of him. He hooks a high ball forward, spinning into his team-mates’ path. Diaz finds Lennart Karl for the finish and Cologne are beaten.
Kane did not score in Bayern’s come-from-behind 3-1 win. As such, he has fallen off the pace in his bid to break Robert Lewandowski’s single-season scoring record. The Pole once managed 41. At the halfway stage, Kane is now on a measly 20 from 17 matches.
But as the third goal in Cologne shows, there is much more to his magnificent game than goals. He was spraying passes from deep throughout. The second goal came from a corner won after a counter-attack which was sprung by him winning the ball in his own box.
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Kane played a terrific pass in the build-up to Bayern Munich’s third goal at Cologne
Bayern legend Lothar Matthaus summed up the 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 has still scored the most goals from open play, the most goals from the penalty spot and even the most goals from fast breaks. At 32 years old, he is surely football’s finisher supreme, still finding the corners with remarkable accuracy. And the numbers back that up.
The expected-goals data shows that while Morgan Rogers and Harry Wilson are on hot streaks from distance in the Premier League, it is Kane who is clear of the rest in Europe when it comes to finding the net more than he should from the shots that he is having.
There are many different forms of leadership in football and the impact of this should not be underestimated. One recalls a conversation with Marco Neppe, Bayern’s technical director at the time of Kane’s signing. He saw it as a factor in bringing him in.
“With Harry in the dressing room, you know as a player that this is a player who can change the whole match in a second,” Neppe explained. “Because he is a goalscorer and he does not need five metres to do it, just a second, just a situation and he scores.”
Kane has scored twice as many goals as any other player in the Bundesliga this season
Kane has always been cold in front of goal, but regular observers detect a change in him. He has grown into this role. “The way that he conducts himself on and off the pitch is a completely different Kane than the one we signed two years ago,” says Matthaus.
Jurgen Klinsmann too has always praised Kane for the way in which he has settled into Bavarian life. “He is just himself. He is humble. He is down to earth. And he focuses on what is most important, and that for him is scoring goals.” But others still wanted more.
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Kane moved onto 20 Bundesliga goals with this stunning effort against Wolfsburg
Speaking to Kane after he scored the winner against Stuttgart in the Supercup back in August, he seemed aware that Thomas Muller’s exit put more of an onus on him. “He was a big character but that gives other people opportunities to step up and be that leader.”
The feeling is that he is taking that responsibility. Certainly, on the pitch he is doing far more than scoring goals. In the narrow win over Borussia Dortmund in October, he opened the scoring but caught the eye more for his defensive work late in the game.
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Smoke delayed the game in Cologne – keeping players and animal mascots waiting!
As for his creativity, it is tempting to think that Klinsmann has it the wrong way around when he talks of “a system where he is getting fed by the attacking midfielders” because it is often the case that it is Kane, with his extraordinary passing range, who is feeding them.
This aspect of his game was long overlooked. Bayern supporters knew that they would be getting goals. But not the rest of it. “He was brought in as a goalscorer to fill Robert Lewandowski’s role, but Kane is so much more than that for the team,” says Matthaus.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey experienced that first hand in Cologne. The young English defender on loan from Manchester City was making his home debut and dealt well with what was a daunting assignment. He has trained with Erling Haaland. Kane is different.
When he drops into that deep space and he is flying balls left, right and centre, it can be a problem.
“It is hard because he drifts so deep,” said Simpson-Pusey afterwards. “When he is up top, hopping around, we can shuffle across and manage him but when he drops into that deep space and he is flying balls left, right and centre, it can be a problem.”
Indeed, when Kane roams, it might appear to be a break for his markers but the danger remains. He can hurt teams from anywhere, ranking in the top 10 in the Bundesliga for through-balls and big chances created. Not the numbers of an out-and-out striker.
Kane’s touch map for Bayern Munich in Cologne is not that of an out-and-out striker
Given all that, is it somehow possible that Kane, England’s captain and all-time record scorer, remains underrated in his own country and beyond? It is not unusual to hear chat of Jude Bellingham and others being the real key men for Thomas Tuchel’s England.
But while there are a plethora of attacking midfield options, with all due respect to Ollie Watkins, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck, England possess perhaps the most complete centre-forward in world football. That point can hardly be overstated.
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Maybe his relentlessness has left many numb to his numbers, blinded by his brilliance. The longevity is remarkable but even his position in the Ballon d’Or voting almost makes being world class look mundane. Seven times on the shortlist. Never higher than 10th.
He has achieved that ranking three times, in 2017, 2018 and 2024. For context, that first shortlist of 30 featured Gianluigi Buffon and Sergio Ramos. The strikers included Luis Suarez, Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Edin Dzeko.
Only Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe were also on that 2017 list and the 2025 one. What will it take for Kane to make the podium? It would probably require glory in the Champions League or at the World Cup – but this year offers possibilities for him in both.
His club and his country are second favourites to claim those prizes. In the meantime, all he can do is to keep delivering. He scores goals and he sets up goals for his team-mates. It is what he has been doing for over a decade now. And still exceeding all expectations.
