Harry Kane finally lifted the first trophy of his career on Saturday night in the midst of wild, beer-soaked on-pitch celebrations at the Allianz Arena and said it meant more than any of the individual goalscoring awards he has won.
The England captain scored the 25th goal of another stellar season in German football for champions Bayern Munich in a 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach to put the gloss on a Bundesliga title triumph that was confirmed last weekend without Bayern kicking a ball.
But he said that the three Premier League Golden Boots and the Golden Boot he won at the 2018 World Cup could not compete with being proclaimed a Deutsche Meister and having his first winner’s medal hung around his neck.
Kane lost out in Premier League title races, a Champions League final and League Cup finals and was mocked by rival supporters for failing to win silverware so he admitted winning a major honour at last was a huge relief.
‘It’s been a long time coming,’ Kane said, after he had been drenched in beer by teammates. ‘It means more than any of the goalscoring awards, for sure. There’s no secret that there has been this one thing that has been missing from my resume.
‘It was a weight on my shoulders and now it’s been lifted. I’ve had plenty of individual accolades and been close on so many occasions to trophies, but for one reason or another, it hasn’t quite worked.
Harry Kane has finally lifted the first trophy of his career after winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich
Kane celebrated the momentous occasion with his wife and childhood sweetheart Katie Goodland
The couple also took in the moment with three of their four children at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday night
‘When you go through a season, the ups and downs, the work, the training, all together with the team, with the staff, you, to have this release and have this kind of celebration at the end, I’ve never been able to have that before. It was just so nice to have that moment.’
After the final whistle and the victory ceremony, Kane, usually such a restrained figure, cavorted on the pitch with his teammates and threw giant glasses of beer over them before being drenched himself.
‘My wife said she was staying away from me because I stunk of her beer,’ Kane said, ‘but all these occasions, that’s what I’ve been waiting for, you know. I knew that’s how they celebrate here and now I have the video and the pictures and the memories and the medal. These are things people can’t take away from me.
‘It’s just mindset that’s kept me going. I’ve always been someone to work hard and carry on no matter the ups and downs and. I’ve a plenty of ups and downs without winning the trophies.
‘Resilience is something that I’ve had to show throughout my whole career and even with this title, it doesn’t change me as a player. ‘I’ve still got the same work ethic. I’m still going to keep pushing the boundaries to see how good I can become and how I can help my team.’
He was joined on the pitch by his wife Katie Goodland and three of their four children. Kane and Goodland met as pupils at Larkswood Primary School in east London, and a relationship blossomed that has lasted decades.
The childhood sweethearts became engaged in July 2017 and married later in 2019, after welcoming their first two children in the preceding years.
Last week, Kane appeared bleary-eyed as the forward reflected on their celebrations, which came after Bayern reclaimed the Bundesliga title following Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw with SC Freiburg, which made it impossible for them to catch Vincent Kompany’s side.
Kane, with trophy in hand, later had alcohol poured over his head in celebration by a team-mate
He took a moment to look at his winners medal as he spoke to some of his team-mates, including Leon Goretzka (right)
Kane, 31, sang Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ with his former Tottenham team-mate Eric Dier and remainder of Bayern’s squad.
Both Kane and Dier were also seen smoking cigars with team-mate Joshua Kimmich amid the celebrations.
Six days on, he has got his hands on the trophy. Despite fighting for the Premier League and Champions League in various seasons with Spurs – and winning various individual awards, including the Golden Boot three times – Kane never won a club trophy at Tottenham.
Some felt he was cursed as he missed out on glory with Bayern Munich last season too, when he joined the side for £95million from Spurs. Bayern lost out on winning the Bundesliga for the first time in a decade and they went trophyless for the whole season.
But the drought is now behind Kane, and he can turn his focus to further success – potentially with England at the World Cup next year. He had played 694 games before finally getting his hands on major silverware.
The Bayern squad, meanwhile, had been celebrating at the gourmet restaurant Kafer in Munich’s Bogenhausen district, according to Bild.
The outlet reported Bayern’s celebrations had included champagne, wine and cigars.
Bayern captain Manuel Neuer had not immediately been pictured in the celebrations, with the goalkeeper instead sharing a photo of himself in the kitchen with a pan of risotto.
Kane, Joshua Kimmich and Eric Dier were seen smoking cigars to celebrate Bayern’s triumph
He later claimed he would be ‘feeling it’ after partying into the night after his side’s league title was confirmed
‘Celebration of champions (with asparagus risotto)!’ Neuer wrote on social media.
Kane reflected on the celebrations in a social media message on Monday, as he claimed the squad would be ‘feeling it’ having partied into the night.
‘What a night last night, what a celebration with the players, with the staff,’ Kane said. ‘I’m sure everyone’s feeling it a little bit this morning but we’re here and I feel amazing.
‘It’s been a long time coming, obviously a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication. It just feels sweet to win the title and the first one of my career.
‘Appreciate all the support as always, it never goes unnoticed and I can’t wait to enjoy these next couple of weeks.
‘I can’t wait to be at the Allianz on Saturday and celebrate in front of the fans and then as always we look forward to the next one and we go again and try and get number two.’
Kane and his wife Kate had reportedly left Bayern Munich’s celebrations at 1:34am, eight hours after the squad had gathered.
