Michael Owen, the former Liverpool and Manchester United striker, has never been one to shy away from a bold opinion. This week, he’s reignited the debate over Harry Kane’s headline-grabbing move from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich, calling the England captain’s decision "nuts"—and sparking fresh conversation among fans and pundits alike.
It’s been just over two years since Kane, now 32, swapped North London for Bavaria in a blockbuster £88 million transfer. The striker left Spurs after a remarkable 19-year association, sitting second on the Premier League’s all-time scoring charts with 213 goals—just 47 shy of Alan Shearer’s iconic 260-goal record. For many, Kane’s move to Germany was about one thing: finally winning a major trophy. Yet for Owen, the cost was far greater than the silverware gained.
"I disagreed with him going to Germany, I still think he was nuts," Owen declared during a candid conversation with Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. "You're on the verge of being the all-time top Premier League goalscorer. You've got kids that are all in school. I mean, I just couldn't see it. I don't see it."
Kane’s gamble wasn’t without its critics, and Owen’s voice has been among the loudest. The ex-striker, who himself scored 150 Premier League goals and ranks 11th on the all-time list, has consistently questioned whether leaving England’s top flight was worth it—especially with the scoring record so tantalizingly close.
Yet the story isn’t as simple as unfinished business in England. After a trophyless debut season in the Bundesliga—where Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen broke Bayern’s 12-year stranglehold on the league—Kane finally tasted glory in his second campaign. Bayern Munich reclaimed the Bundesliga crown in the 2024/25 season, and Kane celebrated his first senior trophy on the pitch in May, surrounded by his wife Katie Goodland and three of their four children. The moment was emotional, the sense of relief palpable.
"It’s been a long time coming," Kane admitted after being drenched in beer by jubilant teammates. "It means more than any of the goalscoring awards, for sure. There’s no secret that there has been this one thing that has been missing from my resume. It was a weight on my shoulders and now it’s been lifted. I've had plenty of individual accolades and been close on so many occasions to trophies, but for one reason or another, it hasn't quite worked. When you go through a season, the ups and downs, the work, the training, all together with the team, with the staff, you, to have this release and have this kind of celebration at the end, I've never been able to have that before. It was just so nice to have that moment."
Despite Kane’s joy, Owen remains unconvinced. In his eyes, winning the Bundesliga with Bayern—a club that has claimed 13 out of the last 14 league titles—isn’t the same as breaking Shearer’s record or lifting a trophy with Tottenham. "If you go and move to Celtic and win the league, are you like, ‘I changed that’? They win every year, 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."
The debate has only intensified since Tottenham’s own fortunes took an unexpected turn. Just weeks after Bayern’s title triumph, Spurs ended a 17-year trophy drought by capturing the Europa League. The timing stoked further speculation among supporters and commentators: would a Tottenham trophy have meant more to Kane than a Bundesliga medal? Owen, for one, thinks so. When Ferdinand put the question to him, the response was emphatic: "Yeah. Absolutely, yeah. Anyway, we digress."
Owen’s criticism isn’t rooted in personal animosity. In fact, he’s effusive in his praise of Kane’s abilities. "Harry Kane is just lethal," Owen said. "I think he's a brilliant finisher. I love him. I think he is lethal. He's got balls of steel under pressure. Penalties are a big thing now, especially a couple of years ago when any flick off a hand was a handball. Penalties are happening so often. You've got to have a great penalty taker. He is unbelievable. He's got a presence. I do like him. I think he's been brilliant over the years."
And the numbers back up Owen’s assessment. Since arriving in Munich, Kane has scored at a blistering rate—netting 91 goals in 100 appearances, nearly a goal per game. He’s become a talisman for Die Roten, driving them back to domestic glory after a rare stumble. His move may have forced a family relocation, with his children adjusting to new schools and a new country, but on the pitch, Kane’s focus has never wavered.
Still, for Owen, the Premier League record will always loom larger. "If you're that desperate to win something, then do another year and then go," he mused. "It's like if you go up and move to Celtic and win the league, you win every year, but there's no great achievement in that." The implication? That true greatness is measured not just in medals, but in the legacy left behind.
Owen’s own experience lends weight to his argument. He spent a single season abroad with Real Madrid before returning to England, and he’s quick to draw distinctions between his situation and Kane’s. "A great achievement would have been becoming the top scorer ever in the Premier League, that would have been unbelievable," he reiterated, highlighting the singular nature of Shearer’s record and the unique place it holds in English football lore.
Interestingly, Kane’s move has had ripple effects beyond Munich and London. Two of his former Bayern teammates have since joined Tottenham: Mathys Tel, who signed permanently in the summer of 2025 after a loan spell, and Joao Palhinha, currently on loan with the possibility of a permanent transfer next year. Kane himself has spoken highly of Tel’s potential, saying, "He’s got great potential. Whether he’s playing as a left winger or a striker, he gets into dangerous areas, he can finish the ball well, and he’s good one-v-one. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him – he’s going to the Premier League, he’s still extremely young although he has a lot of experience here, he still has to develop and improve, he knows that and he works hard to do that, so I just want him to go and enjoy himself, have confidence and hopefully he can shine in the Premier League."
The debate over Kane’s decision is unlikely to fade anytime soon. With his Bayern contract set to expire in the summer of 2027—just before his 34th birthday—speculation persists about a possible Premier League return and another shot at Shearer’s record. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, joint-fourth on the all-time list with 187 goals, is the closest active player to Kane, but the gap remains substantial.
For now, Kane’s legacy straddles two footballing worlds: the Englishman who conquered Germany, and the Premier League legend who left unfinished business behind. As Owen’s comments show, the question of what might have been is as compelling as what has already been achieved. And for fans on both sides of the debate, that’s a story worth following to the very end.
