Michael Owen has doubled down on his criticism of Harry Kane’s decision to leave Tottenham for Bayern Munich, insisting the England captain was “nuts” to turn his back on the chance of becoming the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Kane, now 32, ended his 19-year association with Spurs in the summer of 2023 when he joined the German champions in search of silverware.
At the time, the striker had scored 213 Premier League goals, just 48 shy of breaking Alan Shearer’s record tally of 260.
Many, including Owen, questioned why he would sacrifice that pursuit.
Michael Owen has doubled down on his criticism of Harry Kane’s decision to leave Tottenham for Bayern Munich, insisting the England captain was “nuts” to turn his back on the chance of becoming the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer
|PA
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Owen admitted he still does not understand Kane’s reasoning.
“Harry Kane is just lethal; he’s a brilliant finisher,” the former Liverpool forward said.
“I disagreed with him going to Germany; I was outspoken about that. I still think he was nuts.
"You’re on the verge of being the all-time Premier League goalscorer, you’ve got kids that are all in school. I just couldn’t see it. I don’t see it.”
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Since arriving in Bavaria, Kane has proved his quality on the European stage.
Despite going trophyless in his debut season, he responded in style by firing Bayern back to Bundesliga glory last year, finally lifting his first piece of senior silverware.
In just 100 appearances, the striker has scored 91 goals, close to a goal per game, and has quickly become a hero for the German giants.
Kane’s family have also embraced the move.
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Harry Kane has been sensational for Bayern Munich ever since his arrival two years ago
| PA"To finally have this release and celebration at the end of a season, I’d never had that before.”
Yet Owen remains adamant that Kane’s Bundesliga triumphs cannot compare with the prestige of becoming the Premier League’s greatest ever scorer.
“If you’re that desperate to win something, then do another year and then go,” Owen argued.
“It’s like if you move to Celtic and win the league, you win every year, but there’s no great achievement in that.
"A great achievement would have been being the top goalscorer ever in the Premier League. That would have been unbelievable, and he could have won things along the way.”
Despite his strong stance, Owen still praised Kane’s talent and mentality.
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Harry Kane and his family moved to Germany when the striker joined Bayern Munich in 2023
| GETTY“Harry Kane, I love him. I think he is lethal. He’s got balls of steel under pressure," he admitted.
"You’ve got to have a great penalty taker - he is unbelievable. He’s got presence, I do like him, I think he’s been brilliant over the years.”