On Wednesday, Harry Kane was awarded the Golden Boot as Europe’s top scorer at the Bayern Museum. For the Englishman, who scored 36 goals in the league alone, this was a very special honor.
The setting was perfect, too. Several former and current teammates spoke, and Kane himself gave a lengthy speech on stage. The eulogy for the Bayern forward was delivered by Luca Toni, a former striker for the record-holding champions.
The Italian was visibly in good spirits and emphasized in his speech that he had made a special effort to brush up on his English so he could address the striker in that language.
Toni jokes about Harry Kane
“It’s a special trophy; it means you’re the best goal-scoring machine in Europe—Numero Uno,” the Italian began. “Giving a laudatory speech about you is pretty easy. Because your whole life is a perfect assist. All you have to do is shoot the ball into the goal.”
Toni added jokingly: “Dear Harry—you’re a machine. You’re breaking the records of everyone who played before you. Please stop doing that!” This drew a few laughs from the audience, and Kane was visibly amused as well.
Afterward, however, Toni returned to a more serious tone, speaking about the great qualities Kane brings to the game. “You score goals, provide assists, initiate attacks, and move around the field in such a way that the defenders no longer know whether they should mark you, chase you, or simply ask for an autograph,” the striker listed.
At the end of his speech, Toni paid tribute once again to Europe’s current top striker: “We bow to a great sportsman and one of the greatest personalities in soccer of our time. And when I list all of this, I have to say: A man with these achievements and qualities also deserves the Ballon d’Or.” Kane was then presented with the Golden Boot.
