Kane scores twice to reach Bayern century in record time

German Bundesliga

Bayern Munich 4 - 0 Werder Bremen FT

Harry Kane scored twice in Bayern Munich's win over Werder Bremen on Friday to become the fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for a club playing in one of Europe's top five leagues.

The England captain won and converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time, before firing home from close range in the 65th minute to reach the century mark in just 104 games.

The previous record of 105 games was set by Cristiano Ronaldo while playing for Real Madrid in 2011, and matched by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland last year.

Former Liverpool winger Luis Diaz had opened the scoring when he deflected in a Jonathan Tah flick from a corner, while Konrad Laimer slipped home a late fourth as leaders Bayern preserved their unbeaten start to the season.

Kane broke two other records in his side's 4-1 victory against Hoffenheim last weekend, during which he scored a hat-trick.

He reached 70 Bundesliga goals in just his 67th game in the competition, faster than anyone else in the league's history.

Previously, the 32-year-old broke the record for the most goals scored in 50 Bundesliga games (54 goals), and the fewest number of games needed to reach 50 goals in the competition (43 matches).

On Friday, Kane also became the first player in Bundesliga history to convert their first 18 penalties, as well as score 18 consecutive spot-kicks.

Kane was the first player in Bundesliga history to finish top scorer in both his first two seasons, and the only player to score 25 or more goals in their first two campaigns in the competition.

He has started this campaign with 15 in eight games in all competitions - including two hat-tricks in five Bundesliga games - with Vincent Kompany's side top of the league table with a 100% record.

Kane is the highest scoring Englishman in Champions League history (42 goals), and scored against all 20 teams he has faced in the Bundesliga.

Only Miroslav Klose has played against more sides, while scoring against all of them (28).

Kane joined Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur in a £100m transfer in 2023, having scored 280 goals in 435 games in all competitions for the Premier League club.

He has two years remaining on the four-year contract he signed with the Munich outfit, although he has recently been linked with a Premier League return.

'People are just in awe of what he does'

Kane moved to Germany in the same summer that Jude Bellingham left Borussia Dortmund to join Real Madrid.

The young midfielder's contribution to Real Madrid's La Liga and Champions League double in 2023-24 placed him as England's best player playing abroad, but Kane has arguably been more consistent.

"It has been grotesquely unfair on Harry Kane [that Bellingham has received more praise]," said Pat Nevin during BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage of Bayern's 3-1 Champions League win against Chelsea last week.

"Kane has had an even bigger impact here on Bayern Munich. There are maybe not as many good players around him and there have been times where Kane has been carrying this team. He really should be looked upon as one of the greats."

Bayern have had some legendary strikers in their history, so where does Kane rank among them?

"They think he is the best of all of them and that includes Robert Lewandowski," German football expert Raphael Honigstein said on the Radio 5 Live Euro Leagues podcast.

"He has done it in a way that is so unique because we don't associate centre-forwards with selflessness and humility and wanting to defend in their own box.

"Kane has gone to another level in the last two or three weeks and has captured the imagination of the German public that is unusual for a non-German player.

"People are just in awe of what he does. The one player everyone talks about in Germany is Harry Kane."

Kane scored either side of half-time as Bayern beat Chelsea.

"Kane looks sharp, he looks really on point," said former Blues striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on the MOTD UCL highlights show.

"He looks willing [to run]. He looks like he is always going to be dangerous.

"We all say he is not the quickest, but he still can bring the ball [up the pitch and] into the final third. He really is on the very top of his form."

Asked whether Kane sometimes has to carry Bayern, he added: "Yes, but that is what they bought him for. That is the pressure that he has and he is delivering."

Bayern boss Kompany was keen to highlight the work Kane does away from the box.

"It is more about his work off the ball," said the former Manchester City captain. "Watch him move, press and help the team. He has to run, get back onside to win the penalty. He spends energy to get chances and rewards.

"That's the side of it I keep highlighting. You can talk about quality and talent but there is a lot of hard work behind it."

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