On May 5, 2025, German clubs SC Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen clashed at Freiburg’s Europa-Park Stadion in a match that held massive implications for the Bundesliga title race. For Leverkusen, anything short of a win would kill all hopes of claiming the 2024–25 league championship. But perhaps no one watched the match more intently than Bayern Munich’s star striker and England’s star footballer (soccer), Harry Kane.
Kane is widely regarded as one of the greatest goal scorers in modern football history. The Englishman has enjoyed a 15-year (and counting) senior career at the top level of English and German football, playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich, and, of course, the England national team. Across those clubs and international appearances, Kane has scored over 400 goals. He holds the all-time scoring records for both Tottenham and England, and his personal accolades include three Premier League Golden Boots, a Bundesliga top scorer title, and a European Golden Boot.
Yet for all his individual brilliance, one glaring omission stood out on Kane’s resume: team trophies. Despite five championship final appearances, Kane had fallen short each time. With Spurs, he was a runner-up in the Premier League in 2016–17, lost EFL Cup finals in 2014–15 and 2020–21, and came up short in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool. On the international stage, England lost in the World Cup semi-final to Croatia in 2018 and were eliminated in the quarter-finals by France in 2022. Kane also captained England in back-to-back European Championship final losses, first to Italy in 2020 and then to Spain in 2024.
In search of silverware, Kane made the bittersweet move in the summer of 2023, leaving his beloved Tottenham after 10 seasons to join German giants Bayern Munich. However, his inaugural season in Bavaria ended in disappointment, as Bayern finished third in the Bundesliga, marking the club’s first league title miss since the 2011–12 season.
Fast forward to May 5, and the final whistle at Europa-Park Stadion brought heartbreak for Leverkusen and jubilation for Bayern. A 2–2 draw between Freiburg and Leverkusen secured the single point Bayern needed to clinch the Bundesliga title. For Kane, it was more than just a trophy, it was vindication.
The reaction to Kane’s long-awaited team triumph was overwhelmingly positive. Lifelong football fan, junior Eric Nwuha reflected, “My initial reaction to Kane finally winning a trophy was happiness, for someone who’s waited so long to get what they deserved.” Still, some felt the moment was overdue. Roosevelt High soccer player, 11th grader Samuel Kerr commented, “Not surprised, although I would’ve bet anything on him winning it last season if it wasn’t for the invincible run Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen put together.”
Kane’s title win served as both personal redemption and a message to the football world: he’s not just about stats, he’s a champion. “Moving forward, I think this strengthens his claim to be one of the greatest strikers of this generation,” said Nwuha. “It strengthens his narrative as a very resilient player, even though he was unlucky for a while.”
Others, however, believe the trophy changes little in terms of legacy. “Although it’s a huge achievement winning your first title after this long, I don’t see this changing the narrative,” Kerr said. “He’s already ranked so high that I don’t think trophies will shift it that much.”
Still, most agree that this will not be Kane’s last taste of silverware. Looking ahead, Nwuha is optimistic, “At the club level, I see him winning a lot more trophies in the coming seasons,” he said. “And with the World Cup next summer, he could finally win something with England too.”
