31 goals and counting. Harry Kane cannot stop scoring for Bayern Munich. On Saturday, the English national team captain was one of the scorers in Bayern’s 5-2 victory over last-placed Darmstadt.
Kane gave Bayern the lead in the 45th minute after Jamal Musiala had equalized Tim Skarke’s lead for Darmstadt (28’) in the 36th minute. Musiala (64’), Serge Gnabry (74’) and Mathys Tel (93’) were the other Bayern scorers. Oscar Vilhelmsson (95’) scored the second Darmstadt goal.
But back to Kane. His 31st goal wrote history for the most goals scored in a debut Bundesliga season. The previous record was held by legendary German striker Uwe Seeler, who scored 30 goals in the inaugural 1963/64 Bundesliga campaign for Hamburger SV. The goal on Saturday also increased Kane’s lead at the top of the Torjägerkanone standings, where he is now ten goals ahead of Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy.
There is almost no doubt that Kane will win the prestigious Torjägerkanone (the goal-scoring cannon given to the Golden Boot winner in Germany) this season. But will he break the record for the most goals scored in a single Bundesliga campaign?
Former Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski holds the current record. During the 2020/21 campaign, Lewandowski broke Gerd Müller’s record, which he set in 1971/72. That season was still very much in the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with Bundesliga stadiums often empty, the record feels almost like a ghost of the past.
Ironically, Kane’s goals might also be overshadowed by Bayern’s first titleless season since 2011/12. On the other hand, Kane’s winning the Torjägerkanone could paint over what has been an otherwise disappointing Bundesliga campaign. Furthermore, who knows, an in-form Kane could also help propel Bayern past Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and keep at least one title dream alive.
“With the quality of our forward players, we can be really, really dangerous if we play like this,” Kane recently said to Gegenpressing when asked about breaking the Bundesliga goalscoring record set by Lewandowski. “We all want to win trophies, and hopefully, my goals will mean something by the end of the season.”
Could Kane break Lewandowski’s goalscoring record at the end of the season? He would have to score ten more goals in the last eight games, which is a pace of 1.25 goals per game. That’s not unrealistic, given Kane’s current pace of 1.19 goals per game this season.
Several factors will play a significant role. Will Bayern’s pace slow down a bit after Leverkusen have secured the title? Should Bayern inch past Arsenal, will Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel rotate the squad more often, resting Kane for big games in the Champions League? Finally, will Kane stay healthy?
After all, there was a scary moment in the Darmstadt game when Kane crashed against the goalpost and had to be treated and then taken off. “We hope it’s not so bad,” Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said after the game. “He was subbed off as a precaution. He won’t take any risks with the national team.”
Ultimately, health and Bayern’s Champions League campaign might play the most significant roles in whether Kane can break Lewandowski’s Bundesliga record.
Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth and on Threads: @manuveth
