No English player has scored more UEFA Champions League goals than Harry Kane.
Prior to Bayern Munich’s 9-2 thumping of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, Wayne Rooney held that accolade, leading the way with 30 goals. By full-time, Kane had yanked it off the former Manchester United forward, scoring four to take his total to 33.
In honour of Kane’s achievement, we thought we’d take a trip down memory lane and collate his finest Champions League efforts.
Tottenham Hotspur’s run to the 2018/19 Champions League final was nothing short of miraculous. Even before they got to the knockout stage they found themselves cornered and staring down the barrel of group stage elimination.
With one point from their first three games, they needed to beat PSV Eindhoven at their temporary Wembley home. Spurs went 1-0 down inside the first few minutes.
But Kane was on hand to score twice in the final 15 minutes and kick-start their fairytale run.
His equaliser in particular was exquisite. After knocking a high ball to strike partner Fernando Llorente, the Spaniard returned the favour to Kane, who then hit a bobbling half-volley off his weaker left foot and into the bottom corner.
In their first Champions League knockout game in seven years, Tottenham went 2-0 down away at Juventus within ten minutes. Standard.
Once more, Kane was the one to get Spurs back off the canvas.
After missing an early header, he made amends with a well-taken strike just after the half-hour mark.
Jan Vertonghen nipped possession high in his own half and Tottenham launched a quick counter. While play shifted between Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, Kane was busy peeling off Mehdi Benatia. The offside trap was beaten, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was rounded and Kane slotted in Spurs’ first on their way to a respectable 2-2 draw.
Just don’t ask what happened in the second leg.
Barcelona’s trip to Wembley to face Tottenham is best remembered as a Lionel Messi masterclass, but Kane did manage to sneak in a fine goal of his own.
As is a regular theme with this list, Spurs were losing at the time and needed a hero. Up stepped Kane to sit down Nelson Semedo and roll the ball past a helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen into the far corner.
That effort, unfortunately, proved futile as Barca ran out 4-2 winners anyway.
The first time Kane scored a Champions League treble came in autumn 2017 with a trip to APOEL Nicosia.
In fitting fashion, it was a perfect hat-trick – left foot, right foot, header.
Any of the three were gracious enough to meet the criteria for this list, so it felt right to bracket them together as one.
Kane was injured when Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie in 2019, but he regained fitness in time to start the return fixture.
Spurs had to weather an almighty storm in the first half to preserve their three-goal cushion, but just after the break, Kane raced clear and smashed the ball into the top corner to ease any jangling nerves and book his side’s place in only a second-ever Champions League quarter-final.
This strike gets bonus points because of the beautiful ASMR sound of the ball hitting that famous Dortmund net. Wowzers.
That’s right, Bayern fans – not a single one of Kane’s Champions League goals for you was impressive enough to make this list. They were literally all tap-ins, headers or penalties. Argue with yourself.
Taking the crown was this complete goal against Dortmund in 2017 that had a little bit of everything. He first outmuscles two defenders when chasing a high ball before sprinting through to the box, and then fires high into the roof of the net before the goalkeeper can even figure out the trajectory of the strike.
This wasn’t Kane’s first Champions League goal, but definitely his first meaningful one.
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