Harry Kane had a bittersweet weekend after breaking another goalscoring record for Bayern Munich before going off injured towards the end of their 5-2 win over SV Darmstadt.
The England captain set up Jamal Musiala’s equaliser after Bayern had gone 1-0 down and then scored with a powerful header to put them 2-1 up at the start of the second half.
It was the 30-year-old’s 31st Bundesliga goal this season and ensured that he surpassed Uwe Seeler’s long-standing record for the most goals scored by a player in their debut season in the competition, set back in 1963-64.
However, Kane’s afternoon ended prematurely when he injured his ankle after colliding with the post as he attempted to score a second goal of the game in the 77th minute.
Kane received treatment on the pitch from Bayern’s medical team on the pitch before walking off in what England fans will hope is a positive sign ahead of this summer’s European Championship.
i understands that Kane is due to report for international duty with the rest of the squad on Tuesday where he will undergo further assessment.
The Three Lions face Brazil on Saturday 23 March and then Belgium on Tuesday 26 March in their final warm-up games before the Euros gets under way.
What Bayern have said
“When Harry goes off it’s never a good sign because Harry never goes off when there’s still goals to score,” said Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel after the game.
He added: “He collided with the post and twisted his ankle a bit. He had his ankle iced.
“There’s still no diagnosis, we have to wait. I hope it’s nothing bad.”
Harry Kane's 31st goal that BREAKS the record for the most goals ever in a debut Bundesliga season!
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 16, 2024pic.twitter.com/jC6JxT8NJr
Bayern’s sporting director Christoph Freund said: “We hope it’s not that bad. It was a precautionary measure that he went out.
“Harry twisted his ankle and the area had to be cooled down. He won’t take any risks with the national team.”
The Bundesliga title challengers also released a statement that read: “Harry Kane injured his left ankle in FC Bayern’s 5-2 win at Darmstadt.
“The striker has still travelled to international duty with England and will be treated by the team doctors there, in close consultation with the FC Bayern medical department.”
Kane’s ankle injury history
Kane’s importance to England is so great that the sight of him limping will have sent a shiver down the spines of supporters, as well as Gareth Southgate.
That he hurt his ankle will cause further alarm given he has been particularly susceptible to ankle injuries in the past.
According to Transfermarkt.com, Kane has suffered 13 injuries across his senior career – not including the most recent one – of which seven have been ankle related.
The most memorable ankle injury that Kane has had came during the 2018-19 season when he tore ligaments during Tottenham’s Champions League quarter-final win over Manchester City.
Although he returned from the injury to play in the final a couple of months later, he was understandably lacking sharpness as Spurs were beaten by Liverpool.
Kane also hurt his ankle in the build-up to the 2021 Carabao Cup final but again was able to start as Spurs lost to Manchester City at Wembley.
Kane’s ankle injuries
- September 2016 – November 2016 – 13 games missed
- March 2017 – April 2017 – 5 games missed
- March 2018 – April 2018 – 4 games missed
- January 2019 – February 2019 – 8 games missed
- April 2019 – May 2019 – 9 games missed
- January 2021 – February 2021 – 2 games missed
- April 2021 – 2 games missed
*Data via Transfermarkt.com
That knock was the last time that Kane suffered an injury of any kind and his fitness record over the past three years has been exemplary.
Kane started 50 and 49 games respectively across his final two campaigns with Spurs – including all but one of their 76 Premier League matches in that period – and has played in 35 of Bayern’s 37 matches this term.
In September 2022, Kane revealed that working with a new physio had helped him to overcome ankle injuries that had previously caused him issues.
“I did my hamstring in January against Southampton away on New Year’s Day [2020] and since then I’ve actually found this new physio and we’ve been working together since, for nearly three years now,” he said.
“I’ll use him maybe one week of the month. He doesn’t live in the UK so he comes over one week a month and stays with me.
“I’ve seen changes in my body in terms of what my ankles were like before and now after. I’m in a totally different place.”
Will he play against Arsenal?
It is impossible to say at this stage until the severity of the injury is known but it may become clearer over the next few days once Kane has been assessed by England’s medical team.
Arsenal host the Bundesliga champions at the Emirates in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday 9 April before travelling to Munich for the return fixture on Wednesday 17 April.
The Gunners would undoubtedly prefer to play a Bayern team without Kane in it given his spectacular form this season and his track record against Arsenal in the past.
Kane has enjoyed a remarkable debut campaign in Bavaria, scoring 37 goals in 35 games in all competitions and has been directly involved in over a goal per game in the Champions League, scoring six and setting up three more in eight appearances.
His historical record against Arsenal is also peerless. Kane scored 14 goals against Arsenal during his time as a Spurs player, a total unmatched in the history of the north London derby.
Only against Leicester (20) and Everton (16) has he scored more goals against a single opponent.
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