Harry Kane is tearing up the record books this season, and the football world is taking notice. The 32-year-old striker has started his 2025/26 campaign with Bayern Munich in a way that even the most optimistic supporters could hardly have imagined. With 17 goals in just nine appearances for the German champions, Kane is not only leading the Bundesliga scoring charts but also outpacing some of the greatest names in football history.
Kane’s latest exploits came in the UEFA Champions League, where he bagged a brace against Pafos, further boosting his already jaw-dropping tally. That performance took him to 17 goals in all competitions before the calendar even turned to October—a feat that has set tongues wagging across Europe. If that wasn’t enough, Kane has also chipped in with three assists, two coming in Bundesliga clashes against Augsburg and Hamburger SV, and another goal for England in their rout of Serbia. All told, he’s racked up 21 direct goal contributions for the season, making him the most productive player in Europe’s top five leagues at this early juncture.
But it’s not just the quantity of Kane’s output that’s turning heads—it’s the speed at which he’s doing it. Kane became the fastest player from Europe’s top five leagues to reach 20 goal contributions at the start of a season, clocking in at just 742 minutes on the pitch. That’s seven minutes quicker than Lionel Messi’s legendary 2011/12 run with Barcelona, a season widely regarded as one of the best individual campaigns in the sport’s history.
Let’s put that in perspective. Messi reached 20 goal contributions in 749 minutes during a year when he scored 73 goals and added 30 assists, en route to his third Ballon d’Or. Kane, by comparison, has managed to eclipse that pace, and the footballing world is taking note. According to Transfermarkt, "Harry Kane became the fastest player from Europe’s top 5 leagues to reach 20 goal contributions for a club at the start of a season, beating Lionel Messi’s record, which he set in his Ballon d’Or winning year 11/12."
And the milestones keep coming. On October 1, 2025, Kane reached 100 goals for Bayern Munich in just 104 appearances. That makes him the fastest player this century to reach a century of goals for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues, edging out Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland, who both needed 105 games to hit the same mark. This achievement is even more impressive when you consider the caliber of players he’s surpassed—names that have dominated world football for over a decade.
Kane’s consistency has been nothing short of remarkable. He’s found the net in nine of the 11 games he’s played this season, including two hat-tricks—one against Leipzig and another versus Hoffenheim. With nine Bundesliga hat-tricks in just 67 games, only six players in the history of the German top flight have managed more, and Kane is closing in fast. In his last three Bundesliga matches alone, he’s tallied seven goals, bringing his league total to 10 and cementing his place as the top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues as of early October 2025. His nearest rivals, Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and Erling Haaland of Manchester City, trail with eight goals each.
It’s not just the Bundesliga where Kane is leaving his mark. In the Champions League, he’s proven himself among the elite. With 44 goals in 59 games, Kane boasts a scoring ratio of 0.75 goals per game in Europe’s premier competition. Only a handful of players—Haaland, Messi, and Ronaldo—can claim a better strike rate. For context, Ronaldo has 140 goals in 183 Champions League matches (0.77 per game), Messi has 129 in 163 (0.79), and Haaland leads with an astonishing 1.02 per game. Kane’s numbers put him firmly in the conversation with the best of the best.
Looking at his overall career, Kane’s journey has been one of steady ascent. After learning his trade on loan at clubs like Norwich, Leicester, and Millwall, he exploded onto the scene with Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 280 goals in 435 appearances. His move to Bayern has seen him reach new heights, including becoming the fastest player to 70 Bundesliga goals—achieved in just 67 matches. During the 2025/26 season, he’s found the net every 79 minutes in the Bundesliga, a rate that would make even the most prolific strikers envious.
As Kane’s red-hot form coincides with the start of the 2026 Ballon d’Or cycle, the odds-makers are starting to take notice. At the time of writing, he’s priced at 12/1 (or 16/1 at some outlets) to win the prestigious award. That’s a tantalizing proposition for fans and pundits alike, especially considering his previous Ballon d’Or finishes—13th, 10th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, and twice 10th. Given he’s never scored fewer than 38 goals in a season over the last seven years and has contributed 80 assists for club and country, it’s fair to say he’s overdue for greater recognition.
The competition for the Ballon d’Or will be fierce, of course. Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who was runner-up to Ousmane Dembele this year, is already being tipped as a favorite, especially with Spain listed as World Cup favorites. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, still chasing his first Ballon d’Or, will also be in the mix, particularly with France expected to challenge on the global stage. But with a World Cup year looming and England priced as second-favorites at 13/2, Kane’s prospects look brighter than ever—especially if he can maintain his current blistering pace.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, are among the frontrunners for the Champions League, with odds at 9/1, behind only Barcelona, Arsenal, Paris-Saint Germain, Liverpool, and Real Madrid. If Kane can deliver on the biggest stage in Europe and inspire England to glory in the World Cup, he could well have his best-ever claim for football’s highest individual honor.
For now, the story of the season is Harry Kane’s relentless drive for goals and records. Each match brings a new milestone, and there’s a growing sense that the best may be yet to come. As the autumn leaves start to fall, Kane’s star continues to rise, leaving fans and rivals alike wondering—just how far can he go this year?
