Harry Kane etched his name into the German Bundesliga history books by becoming the fastest player to score 20 goals in the division. The former Tottenham star has adapted remarkably well to life in Germany, netting his 21th Bundesliga goal in his 15th Bayern appearance.
Kane reached the landmark during Bayern’s comfortable 3-0 home win over VfB Stuttgart, which saw Bayern turn up the heat on title rivals Bayer Leverkusen.
Although Leverkusen find themselves four points clear of Bayern – with Bayern also having a game in hand – it’s no surprise to find Kane’s side remaining hot favourites to land the 2023/24 Bundesliga title. They’re priced as short as 1.23 with Betano, which is Nigeria’s leading licensed online sports betting platform, offering outright markets across all of Europe’s leading football leagues.
Kane’s early achievements in a Bayern jersey look all the better when you factor in the previous record for the fastest player to 20 Bundesliga goals. Hamburg icon Uwe Seeler racked up 20 Bundesliga goals in 21 appearances during the club’s first campaign back in the German top flight in 1963/64. Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland also bagged 20 goals in 22 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund in 2020.
With Kane hugely outscoring Haaland, many believe the England skipper has the potential to become one of the true goal scoring greats in German football. Eclipsing the goalscoring form of Bayern’s former hot-shot, Robert Lewandowski will be Kane’s next internal goal.
Kane is also only the second player ever to notch 20 goals so fast in a Bundesliga campaign. Only Bayern icon and German international Gerd Muller has achieved this milestone in the same timeframe. The 30-year-old is now in a league of his own in the Bundesliga top goalscorer charts, with Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy four goals behind him.
Leverkusen show no signs of slipping up
Bayern are likely to need Kane to maintain his red-hot form between now and May. Title rivals Bayer Leverkusen are showing remarkable levels of consistency so far in 2023/24. In fact, Xabi Alonso’s team remained unbeaten in all their 24 competitive matches played this term. This is a new joint record for any German outfit, eclipsing the run made by Hamburg, who lifted the Bundesliga and European Cup double in 1982/83.
Kane is certainly doubling down his efforts to acclimatise to life in Germany – on and off the pitch. The England skipper recently revealed he had turned to AI-powered chatbot, Google Bard, to help him and his family adjust to life in Munich. Kane said he is reading books in German with the aid of Bard. He also uses the app for translation tips during post-game press conferences and cooking local dishes. Kane jokingly said that Bard had even recommended some new goal celebrations, but the London-born ace wouldn’t be drawn on whether he’ll use them at the Allianz Arena.
Kane has a Champions League winners’ medal firmly in his sights
One of the main reasons Kane left his beloved Tottenham for Bayern was to try and win more trophies. With Bundesliga very much a realistic prospect, success in the UEFA Champions League is also possible. Bayern qualified out of their group with relative ease and were handed a rather fortuitous last 16 draw against Serie A side Lazio.
The Biancocelesti finished runners-up in their group behind Atletico Madrid. Domestically speaking, Lazio have had an indifferent start to 2023/24 in Serie A. They are currently 11th after 16 games, even behind Monza on goal difference. Bayern, who last won the Champions League in 2020, will feel very confident about their chances if they can reach the quarter-final stage.
