Last season, Harry Kane achieved a goal-scoring rate that even amazed the Bayern star. The Englishman scored a total of 73 goals for FC Bayern and the national team. This puts the 33-year-old in statistical territory that, for many years, was reserved primarily for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Particularly noteworthy: Not even Ronaldo reached this mark in his highest-scoring season. The Portuguese player scored 69 goals in his best season. Only Messi surpassed Kane’s tally. The Argentine scored an incredible 82 goals in 2011–12.
For Kane, it’s therefore something special to suddenly hear his name mentioned in the same breath as those two superstars. “I grew up watching Messi and Ronaldo, in an era when they simply dominated everything,” the Bayern striker explained in an interview with TNT Sports.
For many years, Kane himself watched as Messi and Ronaldo set new records almost every week. The fact that he now finds himself among the two—at least in one scoring statistic—still seems hard for him to believe.
Kane leaves Ronaldo behind
With 73 goals, Kane has had an extraordinary season. His tally benefited not only from his goals for FC Bayern but also from those scored while playing for the English national team.
Nevertheless, the comparison with Messi and Ronaldo holds special significance for Kane. The two have shaped his generation like almost no other players.
“I just thought those numbers were absurd back then, and they still are. They are the two greatest of our generation and probably of all time,” Kane said.
From his perspective, it’s all the more remarkable that he himself has had a season that, at least in terms of pure goal-scoring output, can rival the best years of these two global stars.
Although Ronaldo has surpassed the 60-goal mark in a single season several times in his career, his personal best of 69 goals falls short of Kane’s tally from last season.
“I’m pretty impressed myself.”
Kane isn’t usually known for aggressively highlighting his personal statistics. But even the Bayern striker couldn’t hide his pride at this figure. “That’s why I’m pretty impressed with my 73 goals myself,” the Englishman explained.
Kane doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels, though. The striker has already made it clear that, despite his age, he wants to continue improving and play at the highest level for as long as possible.
Above all, winning a major international title with FC Bayern remains on his personal wish list. After being eliminated in the semifinals by Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League, Kane and the Munich team are determined to take the next step this time around.
On Thursday, the new run at the Champions League trophy begins against Bodø/Glimt. For Kane, the new season also offers the opportunity to prove that his historic 73-goal haul was no one-off fluke.
Messi’s record of 82 goals remains an exceptionally high bar to clear. However, the fact that Kane even came close to such a mark—and even surpassed Ronaldo’s personal best—shows just how remarkable his past season was.