After joining Bayern Munich, Harry Kane leaves behind a lasting legacy and a huge hole in Tottenham’s frontline

30-year-old Harry Kane becomes first England captain since David Beckham in 2003 to ply his trade outside of his country while still wearing the armband

Harry Kane leaves Tottenham after 19 years at the club to join Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. (Twitter/Bayern Munich)

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After a myriad series of twists and turns that would put any Hollywood thriller to shame, Tottenham Hotspur finally granted their talismanic striker Harry Kane the permission to fly to Germany and join Bayern Munich, thus ending an association that started in 2004.

It was not easy for Bayern to convince the notorious Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to part ways with the England captain. The German giants had to pull out all stops and bid a huge amount of £100m to get Levy to budge. After a deal was initially agreed, it was reported that Kane was in two minds about the move but he ultimately gave the green light late on Thursday night.

From the Academy to our all-time record goalscorer 🤍 pic.twitter.com/gLgl4DK24r

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 12, 2023

The real drama began after that. As Kane reached the airport to travel to Germany for the medical with Bayern, it was reported by various outlets that Tottenham were trying to make last-minute changes to the deal with Bayern. This led to Kane being stranded in no man’s land as the English striker waited to get a greenlight from both clubs in order to fly. Ultimately, after hours of waiting, he was given the signal to fly to Munich.

Hard to put into words how to say goodbye to a club and fans who have done so much for me in my career. You will always be in my heart. Thank you Tottenham, thank you Tottenham fans. 💙 pic.twitter.com/L662cyax7p

— Harry Kane (@HKane) August 12, 2023

It’s a deal which will benefit both Bayern and Kane with the German club finally plugging the huge hole left by Robert Lewandowski while the English captain can win a major trophy for the first time in his career after spending so many trophyless years at Spurs despite his consistent performances.

Moments that will live forever 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gZulgm14aI

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 12, 2023

The 30-year-old Kane also becomes the first England captain since David Beckham in 2003 to ply his trade outside of his country while still wearing the armband. Beckham had been the Three Lions captain from 2000 to 2006 and joined Real Madrid in 2003. After that, all the England national team skippers like John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Jordan Henderson, all played in the Premier League.

🎬 Action! FC Bayern proudly presents 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐊𝐀𝐍𝐄. #ServusHarry #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/0xV49t2z29

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) August 12, 2023

It’s a giant leap forward for a player who had outgrown Spurs a long time ago but every club who were interested in Kane had to ultimately turn away from the deal due to Levy’s propensity to play hardball at the negotiation table. One of them were recent treble winners Manchester City who had made a £100m offer for Kane back in 2021 after Sergio Aguero had left for new pastures. But they were turned down by Levy and had to look elsewhere. Ultimately, City would buy a certain Norwegian from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 who would turn the Premier League upside down and score the highest number of goals for a player in a single season in the league’s history.

A message from @HKane 🤳

Looking forward to seeing you all! 👋 #FCBayern #ServusHarry pic.twitter.com/hV54AkPyYr

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) August 12, 2023

Kane, meanwhile, would sit in the shadows and watch Erling Haaland tear through the league as Spurs imploded around him. Even as Spurs finished 8th last season, Kane scored 30 goals which was just 6 behind Haaland’s 36. And he did it in a team which was not even half as good as Manchester City. That itself shows the quality that Kane possesses.

Looking forward to the new season, it’ll be interesting to see how Spurs cope with the departure of one of the all-time Premier League greats. Kane, who scored 213 goals in 320 EPL matches, leaves behind a lasting legacy and a huge hole in Tottenham’s frontline. As for Bayern, after adding Kane to a frontline that already boasts of Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry, the sky is well and truly the limit.