Some jokes simply write themselves: Harry Kane moved to Bayern Munich to win his first trophy, just for Bayern Munich to have their first trophyless season in 12 years. Maybe it’s irrefutable proof of a curse, that after leaving Tottenham with out ending the membership’s lengthy watch for silverware, Kane’s arrival in Germany instantly brought on a title-winning machine like Bayern to malfunction past recognition.
This, in fact, is neither truthful or true, however whereas Kane’s debut marketing campaign at Bayern finish with a handful of particular person awards and a brand new private document for his most targets in a season, the watch for a primary main honour of the 30-year-old’s skilled profession will proceed. It might have been unthinkable final summer season, however the trophy cupboard stays empty after Actual Madrid put an finish to Bayern’s Champions League hopes within the semi-finals.
A failed season, then? Kane was requested concerning the prospect of a trophyless yr earlier than dealing with Arsenal within the quarter-finals and his response was unequivocal. “In fact,” he replied. “We’re anticipated to win.”
However, for the primary time since 2011-12, Bayern haven’t finished that. Actual Madrid surprised the German facet with their late comeback on the Bernabeu. It can have been particularly tough for Kane, after the England captain was taken off by Thomas Tuchel with Bayern main. Kane was minutes from Wembley, however may solely watch as Joselu come off the bench to ship Madrid by along with his dramatic double.
The Champions League was Bayern’s last likelihood of lifting silverware. Their grip on the Bundesliga had already gone, with Bayer Leverkusen ending Bayern’s unprecedented streak of 11 consecutive league titles with 5 video games to spare. There is no such thing as a German Cup to fall again on, both – defeat to lowly Saarbrucken, in one of many greatest shocks in DFB Pokal historical past, noticed to that in November. With 5 weeks remaining, Bayern had nothing left to battle for again residence, apart from delight.
Although, after a humbling few months, there’s little of that in Bavaria proper now. In European soccer’s fashionable period, the place wealth throughout the continent is concentrated amongst a cartel of elite golf equipment, Bayern have been thought of too massive to fail. The historical past of the six-time European champions and the financial benefits they maintain over the remainder of Germany ensured titles have been a formality, the place even a down yr may finish with one other Bundesliga crown for ‘FC Hollywood’. For all of their issues on and off the pitch in 2024, Bayern have been arguably even worse 12 months in the past, however they nonetheless gained the league when Borussia Dortmund choked on the ultimate day. It summed up Bayern’s sense of inevitability.
For Kane, the tip of his new membership’s supremacy is a merciless twist in a yr which has seen the England captain cement his place as one of many most interesting strikers on this planet. Kane has loved a unprecedented first time period, scoring 44 targets in 45 video games for Bayern in all competitions, a private finest. His 36 targets within the Bundesliga is already a document for a debut season in Germany. By the tip of Could, it’s seemingly that solely Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Muller – the 2 most prolific goalscorers in German soccer historical past – could have scored extra in a single yr. No matter honours, it’s nonetheless one of many best campaigns by an English participant overseas, an unprecedented goalscoring return for a primary yr on the continent.
However Kane additionally scored targets in document volumes at Tottenham. It was a want to win trophies, and the gradual acceptance that it wasn’t going to occur with Spurs, that noticed him come spherical to the concept of leaving his boyhood membership. At Bayern, trophies have been seen as a near-guarantee.
And but Kane’s first season got here as Bayern have fallen from their dominant place, amid a wider pattern of regression that has led to a dramatic decline on the Allianz Enviornment. There was a warning, maybe, when Bayern took the choice to sack former goalkeeper and CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic simply days after profitable the Bundesliga title on aim distinction final Could. The signing of a famous person like Kane for a club-record €100m briefly appeased the disgruntled assist, but it surely additionally put extra strain on Tuchel when Bayern have been confronted with a rising energy elsewhere.
It needs to be stated that the gorgeous success of Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen has performed a extra important half in Bayern’s low. After profitable a primary Bundesliga title within the membership’s 120-year historical past, Leverkusen are on observe to go all the season unbeaten – a feat not even Bayern have achieved within the historical past of German soccer. Even the perfect Bayern sides might have struggled to maintain tempo with Leverkusen’s factors tally, and a seismic defeat to Alonso’s facet in February was symbolic of the shift: Leverkusen have been united underneath Alonso’s management and tactical imaginative and prescient whereas Tuchel’s facet have been in turmoil, Kane barely having a contact as Bayern’s invincibility slipped and so they have been trounced 3-0.
Kane could have a brand new supervisor to work with after the summer season – there isn’t any level in Tuchel carrying on in his ill-fated spell till the tip of the season. There could also be additional modifications: Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer characterize the core of the once-dominant facet who’re previous their finest. Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich will entice curiosity from elsewhere and so they might desire their choices. A bruised Bayern should now rebuild whereas Leverkusen, with Alonso dedicated to staying on the membership as they return to the Champions League, may strengthen. For as soon as, Bayern would be the challengers within the title race subsequent yr.
The irony is that after spending 4,369 days at Tottenham with out profitable a trophy, Kane had the possibility to elevate silverware on his first day at Bayern. However Kane’s first contact as a Bayern participant got here as they have been already 3-0 all the way down to RB Leipzig within the season-opening German Tremendous Cup last. It might not have counted for a lot, but it surely signalled the beginning of a marketing campaign the place Bayern defeats have been rare but catastrophic once they have arrived: to third-tier Saarbrucken, within the 5-1 thrashing at Frankfurt and 3-0 at Leverkusen, in opposition to struggling Bochum and newly promoted Heidenheim in April as they surrendered their standing as German champions.
All eras come to an finish finally, however the method of Bayern’s capitulation has shamed a proud membership. Maybe Kane and his aim return saved Bayern from additional embarrassment; Musiala, with 13, and Leroy Sane, with 10, are the one different members of the Bayern squad to succeed in double figures in all competitions. It made his substitution within the Bernabeu all of the extra inexplicable.
However a unanimous victory within the membership’s participant of the yr awards and a Bundesliga golden boot will hardly be a lot comfort for Kane when he considers the unthinkable end result to Bayern’s season, or the brand new energy stability in German soccer. And, until the England captain leads his nation to Euros glory in Germany this summer season, there’s now no assure that Kane’s trophy drought will come to an finish subsequent yr, both.