The first trophy of Harry Kane’s glittering career is in sight.
Kane started up top for Bayern Munich as they came from behind to beat VfB Stuttgart 3-1 in the Bundesliga last Friday.
Unfortunately for the the England superstar he failed to add to his 21-goal haul or eight assists in the league.
Instead, Bayern netted three unanswered goals via Michael Olise, Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman after Angelo Stiller scored in the 34th minute for the hosts.
It didn’t stop Kane from expressing his delight at the win as he wrote on Instagram: “What a moment! What a win! Big away performance from the boys!!”
Bayern’s victory extended their lead atop the Bundesliga between them and second-placed Bayer Leverkusen to 11 points.
However, Xabi Alonso‘s side brought the gap back to eight points after their 4-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 on Saturday.
It is evidently far too early to coronate Bayern as Bundesliga champions just yet given there are ten league fixtures remaining.
But should the eight-point buffer remain, Bayern fans can pencil in a specific date to celebrate.
That date would be May 3, when Bayern travel to RB Leipzig in the third-last game of the season.
Victory over Leipzig, with the eight-point gap still in place, would confirm Bayern’s status as Bundesliga champions.
It’s unlikely any Bayern star will be as elated as Kane should they wrestle back control of the German top flight from Leverkusen.
That’s because it would mark the first team trophy he has won in his career.
Prior to his mega-money move to Bayern in the summer of 2023, Kane came agonisingly close to winning a number of trophies with Tottenham Hotspur but fell short.
During Kane’s time in north London, Tottenham finished second in the 2016/17 Premier League season and collected runner’s up medals in the 2015 and 2021 League Cup finals as well as the 2019 Champions League final.
Kane will have certainly factored Bayern’s domestic dominance into his thinking when it came to joining the German giants given they had won 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles prior to his arrival.
However, his debut season in Germany coincided with Bayern’s lowest league finish in 13 years as they ended the season in third, with Alonso’s Leverkusen going unbeaten to win their maiden Bundesliga title.
But under Vincent Kompany, who replaced Thomas Tuchel as Bayern boss in the summer, the German giants are poised to return to the Bundesliga summit.
AFP via GettyThe England superstar will be key to Bayern’s title hopes[/caption]
Although the two teams will go toe-to-toe on the domestic front for the Bundesliga title, Bayern and Leverkusen will also collide in the Champions League last 16 in the pursuit of European glory.
Bayern host the first leg of the tie on Wednesday before they make the short trip to Leverkusen for the return leg on March 11.
Should Bayern lose the tie to Leverkusen, it would mark the first time they have exited the Champions League in the last 16 since the 2018/19 campaign.