‘The face of Bayern Munich’ – How Harry Kane has become an English ‘ambassador’ as 24-goal striker prepares to be joined in Germany by wife Katie Goodland & his young family

The England captain severed career-long ties with Premier League side Tottenham when completing a €100 million (£86m/$109m) transfer to the reigning Bundesliga champions in the summer of 2023. He has made a stunning impact at the Allianz Arena, hitting 24 goals through 21 appearances, and is expected to take his game to even greater heights once he has been joined in Bavaria by his wife Katie Goodland and their four children.

Bayern legend Matthaus has told Sky Sports of ‘King Kane’ taking over in Munich: “He is so well, very well – not only on the pitch, he is the face of Bayern Munich. It’s not only in Germany, he is good for the Bundesliga, to make us internationally more present, get more interest. Harry is a really good transfer, we are very happy. He has scored now in 15 games, he has scored 20 goals in the Bundesliga, top scorer. He is very close with the fans, he is good with the media – he gives the interviews. He is a great ambassador, we cannot have a better ambassador from England than Harry Kane at this moment.”

Kane could come into contention for Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best recognition if his current standards are maintained, but Matthaus is not convinced that those awards are being given to the right person in 2023. He added when asked to pick out the best player over the last 12 months: “Erling Haaland? When you see 2023 – with the titles for Haaland, what he won with Manchester City and how he scored in England. For me, the best player in 2023 was not [Lionel] Messi. [Jude] Bellingham did a great job in Dortmund, in Real Madrid, but he didn’t win titles in 2023 and Haaland won everything with Man City. And the [goals], the number of [goals], how he played for City and his national team. He is a special player and I think in 2023, the best player for me was Erling Haaland.”

Inter Miami superstar Messi collected his eighth Golden Ball on the back of helping Argentina to World Cup glory at Qatar 2022. He is in the running for the FIFA Best prize, but that prestigious honour could still be awarded to prolific City striker Haaland or Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe – as they make up the final shortlist.