THE fact that Bayern Munich chose to make Harry Kane official poster boy of their newest Bundesliga triumph should represent the moment the sniggering stops.
Kane looked as awkward in the club’s portrait of their dinner-suited title winner as he did wearing lederhosen after his arrival in Bavaria.
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But the England skipper, 31, fits Bayern like a glove on the pitch, where it matters.
And with that first trophy finally tucked away, the absence of which saw Kane unforgivably mocked by many who would dream of a fraction of his talent, it is time for the striker to be widely celebrated as a brilliant ambassador for English football.
You can understand why Kane, who stays off the beers apart from a two-week summer window, partied with his team-mates, posting a video of the squad singing along to Queen on Sunday.
When Kevin Keegan left Liverpool for Hamburg, he was praised for his bravery and ambition.
Likewise when David Platt headed for Serie A, Steve McManaman and Michael Owen swapped Merseyside for Madrid, while David Beckham also joined Real.
Yet with Kane’s move to Munich, there seemed more scorn and derision, especially when they blew up under the pressure of Bayer Leverkusen’s relentless run last term.
It was as if it was Kane’s fault that Tottenham fell short, when the truth was he was the reason they got so close.
That he was a living, walking “curse”, an albatross round the neck of every team he played for. Utter bilge, of course.
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Kane scored 36 of Bayern’s 94 Bundesliga goals last season, only surpassed in the German top-flight’s history by Gerd Muller and Robert Lewandowski, 44 in all competitions.
They were ahead in the Champions League semi with Real Madrid when Kane was replaced late on.
And when England stuttered and stumbled their way through Euro 2024, guess who got the blame?
That Kane was not his real self was evident — the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. Gareth Southgate’s belief that Kane’s nerve would hold in the big moments was a factor — just remember how he slammed home the semi-final penalty against Holland.
Yet there were plenty who wanted time called on Kane’s Three Lions career, strip him of the armband and give the starting shirt to Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney.
Those voices have been silenced now. Thomas Tuchel could not have been firmer in signalling his faith in the man he signed for Bayern, while Kane has been Munich’s stand-out player once more.
Statistics can be used to make any point you want. But Kane’s numbers are the ultimate argument.
His list of England scoring records alone are remarkable… most goals, most competitive goals, most goals in major tournaments, most goals as captain, most goals for a single manager. Just for starters.
Fitness permitting, with maybe five more years in his tank, including three tournaments, Kane is on course to become the first player to score 100 goals for England.
He left Spurs having overtaken Jimmy Greaves as the club’s all-time top scorer, just 47 adrift of Alan Shearer’s Prem record mark.
Now he has the medal to prove he is a winner. It might open the floodgates — for club and country.
That Shearer tally, too, is one he will be desperate to topple.
One more year in Germany, another title, then lead England to World Cup glory, before plenty of suitors back home will be ready for a guaranteed source of goals.
Kane does not have to win the Prem. But if anybody deserves to, it is England’s greatest striker.
Gone Mad
JUST as he saw light at the end of the tunnel, Ange Postecoglou realised the injury train was hurtling towards him again.
Losing both Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison was a bigger blow than Bodo/Glimt’s late strike in N17 on Thursday.
Spurs now travel to the Arctic Circle without two key men. Good job they are renowned for their courage in big games.
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Cole-den Boy
COLE PALMER claimed he was not bothered by the “trolls and idiots” who have questioned him over the past three months.
That’s fair enough. The Chelsea forward, 22, was going through a blip, the first of his career, so it was always a matter of time before he emerged.
Yet his response rekindled memories of how Fernando Torres blamed everybody else for his problems after a £50million move to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool in 2011.
After breaking his own 18-game Premier League scoring drought, the Spanish striker refused to talk to the media because of the repeated reporting on his lack of goals.
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Guard of Horror
ARNE SLOT’S selective deafness at Stamford Bridge on Sunday signalled another reason Liverpool’s title triumph has been relatively well-received — other than in SW6, that is.
The raucous boos of Chelsea supporters, even as their players began to line up to give the new champions a guard of honour, might have seen Slot have a dig.
Instead, the Dutchman claimed not to have heard it.
While Kop fans rightly revered previous boss Jurgen Klopp, his managerial style alienated plenty of rival supporters.
Slot has been far more low-key during his triumphal campaign.
Never doubt the determination of the quiet man.
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