BEER-SOAKED Harry Kane toasted the first trophy of his career — then beamed: It won’t be the last.
It was a family affair for the England captain, 31, as he celebrated on the Allianz Arena pitch with wife Kate and kids Ivy, Vivienne and Louis as he finally got his hands on silverware.
Mum Kim and dad Patrick, as well as brother Charlie, were also on the pitch as Kane lifted Bundesliga’s ‘Meisterschale’ with Bayern Munich on Saturday night.
And while he proved during the week he cannot sing to save his life, Kane wasted no time in reminding everyone that he is half decent at scoring goals.
Bayern clinched the Bundesliga title six days earlier without kicking a ball as Bayer Leverkusen drew with Freiburg.
Kane celebrated with his team-mates in a posh Munich restaurant before murdering ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’.
This time it was less plush – as a colleague drenched him in bear during a live TV interview after his opener helped sink Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0.
Beers had flowed in the stands from an hour before kick-off, with a Bavarian party well underway in Bayern’s penultimate game of the season by the time Kane struck in the 31st minute before former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise got a late second .
After the game, Kane and his team walked back onto the pitch along a red carpet and onto the podium.
Kane’s frustrations over a trophyless first season at Bayern, the pain of not winning anything with his boyhood team Spurs and devastating two losses in major finals with England were replaced by the joy of finally being a winner.
Speaking afterwards, a beaming Kane was delighted his much-publicised wait for a trophy was finally over.
He said: “It feels amazing. It’s been a long time coming, a lot of hard work throughout the season, and I’m just proud.
“Look, it doesn’t change the player that I am. It doesn’t change how hard I work.
“Of course, it’s been one of the only things that has been missing from my resume.
“But hopefully it’s the first of many with this great club and with this great team as well.”
He added: “I’m proud of the boys and my family. My wife and kids are here. It’s just a great feeling.
“I’m looking forward to enjoying the next week.”
Kane’s latest goal also broke yet another record. His header saw him become the first player in German history to score 25 goals or more in his first two Bundesliga seasons.
It feels amazing. It’s been a long time coming, a lot of hard work throughout the season, and I’m just proud.
Harry Kane
It was an 81st goal in 90 games since leaving Bayern for Spurs for £104million.
Despite receiving criticism in some quarters for not scoring in big games – although he did strike against Inter Milan in the quarter-finals – the 31-year-old has already become the club’s main man.
Equally, it was also a special day for Eric Dier who followed his pal from north London to Bavaria 18 months ago and has also won his first title.
The defender is now heading to Monaco after turning down a one-year contract to stay in Germany and he featured in a presentation on the pitch before the game and was given a standing ovation.
Once the game started, Bayern were lethargic and seemed to be paying the price for their boozy celebrations.
Yet Kane scored with his first chance and it was very much made in England as the player delivering his 14th assist of the season was Olise.
While he plays for France, Olise grew up in London and played for Reading and Palace before making a £50million move last summer. He then delivered a deft finish for his 16th goal in the 90th minute.
Certainly for Bayern fans, apart from paying tribute to their new goal hero, this day was all about saying farewell to 35-year-old Thomas Muller, who is ending his 25-year association with the club.
Bayern were hoping that Muller, 35, would score a 249th goal on what was his 751st appearance.
He had a couple of moments but on both occasions his shots were blocked.
And in the 83rd minute, Muller – who could end up playing in MLS – left the Allianz pitch for the last time and was given a guard of honour by the subs and coaching staff before a few of the first-team belatedly joined in.
Kane was replaced in injury-time and received a big hug from his manager Vincent Kompany who must be thankful Thomas Tuchel signed the striker a couple of years ago.
For ex-Manchester City defender Kompany, this was also an unforgettable occasion.
And this was in stark contrast to a year ago when as manager of Burnley, Kompany suffered a 2-1 loss to Spurs for a 23rd Premier League defeat of the season.
If you had told him that 12 months later, he would have been doing a victory lap around the pitch at the Allianz, you have to wonder what the reply would have been.
Read the full article here