Michael Owen has criticised Harry Kane for leaving Tottenham Hotspur to join Bayern Munich, calling the striker “nuts” for turning his back on the chance to become the Premier League’s all time top scorer.
Kane, now 32, departed Spurs in the summer of 2023 after 19 years at the club. At the time he had scored 213 Premier League goals, just 48 shy of Alan Shearer’s record of 260. Instead of continuing his pursuit, he chose to move to Germany in search of silverware.
Appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, former Liverpool and England forward Owen repeated his view that Kane made the wrong choice. “Harry Kane is just lethal, he is a brilliant finisher. I disagreed with him going to Germany, I still think he was nuts. You are on the verge of being the all time Premier League goal scorer, you have kids in school, I just could not see it,” Owen said.
Since moving to Bavaria, Kane has scored 91 goals in 100 matches, finally claiming his first major trophy when Bayern regained the Bundesliga title last season. His family joined him on the pitch in celebration, with wife Katie Goodland and three of their children present as he toasted success.
Kane himself admitted the triumph was a huge relief. “It means more than any of the goalscoring awards for sure. It was a weight on my shoulders and now it has been lifted. I have had plenty of individual accolades but never this. It was just so nice to have that moment,” he said.
Owen though argued that winning in Germany does not compare to what Kane left behind. “If you are that desperate to win something, then do another year and then go. Going to Bayern is like moving to Celtic, you win every year but it is no great achievement. A great achievement would have been being the top scorer ever in the Premier League.”
Despite his criticism, Owen praised Kane’s quality. “I love him. He is lethal, he has presence, and he has been brilliant over the years.”