Harry Kane’s hunt for trophies has hit a catastrophic new low at Bayern Munich

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There are some jokes that require no effort to come up with, like this one about Harry Kane. He left Tottenham to join Bayern Munich in the hopes of finally winning a trophy, but unfortunately, Bayern Munich experienced their first trophyless season in 12 years. Some might say this is proof of a curse, considering Kane was unable to help Tottenham win any silverware before he left. It seems that Kane's arrival in Germany caused Bayern, a team known for their winning ways, to suddenly stop functioning at their best.

Undoubtedly, this statement is unjust and incorrect. Despite Kane's impressive performance during his first season with Bayern, which earned him several individual awards and a new personal record for the most goals scored in a season, he still has yet to win a significant title in his career at 30 years old. Although it might have appeared unimaginable only a year ago, last season's Champions League semifinals saw Bayern's hopes dashed by Real Madrid, leaving Kane's trophy cabinet empty.

So, it seems like a season without any trophies is a possibility. Kane was questioned about this before going up against Arsenal in the quarter-finals and he gave a resolute answer. "Absolutely," he responded. "It's what we're supposed to do."

However, Bayern failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League final for the first time since 2011-12. Real Madrid surprised the German team with their impressive late game comeback at the Bernabeu. This would have been particularly tough for Kane, the captain of England, who was substituted by Thomas Tuchel while Bayern were in the lead. Kane was only moments away from reaching Wembley, but he could only observe as Joselu emerged from the bench to secure Madrid's victory with his thrilling double.

Bayern Munich hoped to win the Champions League as it was their last opportunity to secure a major trophy. They were no longer dominating the Bundesliga, with Bayer Leverkusen breaking their amazing record of 11 back-to-back league titles when they still had five games to play. They also could not rely on winning the German Cup as they were defeated by Saarbrucken - one of the greatest upsets in DFB Pokal history - back in November. With only five weeks left, Bayern Munich had no more competitions to participate in at home which left them with only their pride to fight for.

Currently, Bavaria is not experiencing the same level of dominance it once had, even after facing a difficult period of time. In modern European football, a small group of wealthy and elite clubs hold most of the continent's resources. However, Bayern continued to be seen as too big to fail due to their history as six-time European champions and their economic advantage over the other German teams. Regardless of the turbulence they experienced both on and off the field in 2024, Bayern was arguably in worse shape a year prior. Despite this, they were still able to win the league due to Borussia Dortmund's failure on the final day. This showcased Bayern's perceived inevitability in the league.

Kane's new team's fall from being the best is a sad turn of events, especially after a year where he has proven himself as one of the best strikers in the world. He has had an amazing first season, scoring 44 goals in 45 games across all competitions, which is his personal best. His 36 goals in the Bundesliga is a record for a player's debut season in Germany. It is likely that only Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Muller, who are the two most successful goal scorers in German football history, will have a better score than Kane by the end of May. Even if he doesn't win any awards, this first year abroad was one of the best by an English player in terms of scoring goals, and it was an extraordinary achievement.

Kane was known for scoring many goals while playing for Tottenham. He wanted to win trophies, but realized that it wouldn't happen with Spurs. This made him consider leaving his childhood team. He believed that winning trophies was almost guaranteed at Bayern.

Kane's arrival at Bayern happened during a time when the club was losing their dominant position, and experiencing a general decline. This trend was exemplified by the recent sacking of former goalkeeper and CEO, Oliver Kahn, and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, just days after winning the Bundesliga on goal difference in May. Kane's €100m club-record signing eased the dissatisfied fans for a moment, but ultimately added more pressure to Tuchel when competing against other strong teams.

The success of Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen has had a significant impact on Bayern's performance. Leverkusen won their first-ever Bundesliga title and are on track to finish the whole season undefeated, something that even Bayern has never accomplished in German football history. It would have been difficult for any of Bayern's best teams to keep up with Leverkusen's impressive point total. In February, Bayern suffered a catastrophic loss to Alonso's team, which symbolized Leverkusen's solidarity under his leadership and tactical expertise, while Tuchel's side was in disarray. Bayern's previously invincible status slipped away as they were beaten 3-0, and Kane barely even touched the ball.

Kane will be working with a new manager in the coming season, as it would be pointless for Tuchel to continue with his unsuccessful tenure until the end of the year. There may be more changes in store, as the once-dominant Bayern side's core players, Muller and Neuer, have passed their prime. Other players such as Musiala, Davies, and Kimmich will attract interests from other teams, and they may prefer to explore their options. With Bayern facing a tough challenge, they must now rebuild while rivals Leverkusen, led by Alonso's commitment to stay at the club, are primed to strengthen their roster as they head back to the Champions League. Next year, Bayern will be the ones chasing after the championship title.

It's ironic that Kane spent a long time at Tottenham without winning a trophy, but had a chance to win one on his first day at Bayern. However, things didn't go well for Kane and his new team as they were already losing 3-0 to RB Leipzig in the season-opening German Super Cup final when he made his first touch as a Bayern player. This didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it was the start of a season where Bayern didn't lose many games, but when they did, it was catastrophic. They lost to a third-tier team, Saarbrucken, suffered a 5-1 thrashing at Frankfurt, and lost 3-0 to Leverkusen. They were also defeated by struggling Bochum and newly promoted Heidenheim in April, which meant they lost their status as German champions.

Every era ultimately comes to a close, but the way Bayern gave up was disgraceful for a club with such a strong history. Kane's goals may have prevented Bayern from suffering even more humiliation. Only Musiala, with 13 goals, and Leroy Sane, with 10, have scored in double digits across all competitions for Bayern. That's why it's even more confusing why he was taken out during the game at Bernabeu.

Although Kane won the club's player of the year awards and the Bundesliga golden boot, it will not make up for the devastating end to Bayern's season or the shift in German football's power dynamic. Unless Kane can lead England to victory in the Euros in Germany this summer, he may not win any trophies next year.