Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane on Tuesday received the Golden Shoe award for finishing as the 2023-24 season’s top scorer in European football.
In his first season with Bayern, Kane scored 45 goals in 47 games in all competitions. The former Tottenham Hotspur star in the process became the first English striker to collect the Golden Shoe award since Kevin Phillips in 2000.
Kane also became the third to do so while competing for the Munich-based club after Gerd Müller and Robert Lewandowski.
“It’s a fantastic feeling. I can only thank the club, my teammates,” Kane said at the ceremony at the Allianz Arena. “The award is for everyone – without you I wouldn’t be standing here.”
Kane follows Erling Haaland of Manchester City in winning the Golden Shoe. Lionel Messi claimed the prize six times while playing for Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo earned the accolade on four occasions before leaving Europe for Saudi Arabia.
“It is something special that I am now mentioned in the same breath as these names,” Kane said.
Many of the Golden Shoe winners before Kane also won league titles, domestic cups and the UEFA Champions League. Compared to them, the captain of the English national team is still seeking his first club-level trophy.
“I want to continue on as I started last season, but it is important to win titles. We want to achieve success as a team,” Kane said. “I feel very good and am looking forward to the new season. I sense a new energy and I’m looking forward to seeing where it leads.”
When the award was introduced after the 1967-68 campaign, it went to the top scorer from any European league. The rules were changed in 1997 to introduce a formula that favored players in higher-regarded flights.
