Harry Kane said he felt “right at home” after he signed a two-year extension at Bayern Munich, keeping the Ballon d’Or winner at the club until 2029, the German champions announced on Thursday.
The 33-year-old England captain joined Bayern from Tottenham in 2023 and has scored 156 goals in 161 games in all competitions.
“I feel right at home at FC Bayern. I love the club, the fans and the city of Munich. We have a fantastic team and, in Vincent Kompany, a fantastic manager,” Kane said in a statement.
“It makes me very proud to be part of this club. My whole family is very happy here. I was keen to stay. I’m now looking forward to the future.”
Famously without a team trophy after over 10 years spent at boyhood club Spurs, Kane has won two Bundesliga titles and one German Cup since joining Bayern, although the Champions League has proved elusive — reaching the semi-finals twice in three campaigns.
Kane achieved the ultimate personal accolade for a footballer when he was voted the men’s player of the year at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London last month.
He became the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 and the first Bayern player since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981 to win the award, beating France captain Kylian Mbappe into second place.
In September, Kane became the fastest player in German history to reach 100 Bundesliga goals, doing so in 98 games to shatter the previous record set by Dieter Mueller in 1977 by 31 games.
Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said the club were “absolutely delighted” to extend Kane’s deal, adding: “With Harry Kane we have the Ballon d’Or winner on the pitch — a team player, a leader, the best all-round striker in the world.
“We all benefit from his qualities as a player and as a person, day in, day out.”
Bayern and Kane were in negotiations about the extension since August, with the duration of the deal the main sticking point, according to German media.
‘Best place possible’
Much as Premier League sides might have dreamed of luring him back to England, Kane’s longer-term Bayern future has never been in doubt.
He has repeatedly thanked the city, the club and its fans for warmly welcoming him to southern Bavaria.
Last season, Kane said contract talks would take place after the World Cup in which England bowed out in the semi-finals to Argentina.
In August, he told FourFourTwo magazine his desire to return to the Premier League had waned.
“When I first left, for sure it was something that I thought I’d definitely be coming back. That itch isn’t there as much anymore.
“I’m extremely happy here in Munich. It’s opened my eyes to a totally different world of football outside of England. It’s made me appreciate European football even more.
“With the team we have here, with the manager. My family are really settled here. It’s just about being in the best place possible.
“I never say never but, for now, I’m concentrating on Bayern Munich, and we’ll see what the future holds.”
Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern last campaign and 12 for England, bringing him to an incredible 73. That mark was bettered only once this century, by Lionel Messi in 2011-12, who scored 82 in a Ballon d’Or-winning season.
Kane reserved special praise for the club in his Ballon d’Or acceptance speech.
“Without you guys (his Bayern Munich team-mates) and the rest of the team it wouldn’t be possible, the way you guys push me, the way we compete. So thank you very much,” he said after collecting the award.
Bayern won the league and cup double last season while pushing eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain all the way in a wild semi-final, with the French side triumphing 6-5 on aggregate over two legs.
This season, Bayern are the only remaining undefeated club in Europe’s top five leagues. The Bavarians sit atop the Bundesliga table, ahead of Dortmund on goal difference, and are 13th in the Champions League table after four of eight league phase matches.
AFP
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