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England captain Harry Kane said it was the right time to leave Tottenham Hotspur after 19 years at the club as he joined German club Bayern Munich on Saturday.
In a video posted on Facebook, Instagram and “X” – the platform formerly known as Twitter – Tottenham’s record goalscorer said: “I wanted to be the first to tell you Tottenham fans that I’ll be leaving the club today … This is a thank you to all my teammates over the years, all my coaches, all the managers … and most importantly a thank you to you, the Tottenham fans … I’ve given everything that I possibly could to make you proud.”
Addressing his decision to leave the club just one day before Tottenham’s first Premier League game of the season, the 30-year-old said: “I felt like this was the time to leave, I didn’t want to go into the season with a lot of unresolved future talk.”
Within minutes of the video’s release, Tottenham posted on its official account on “X” that it had reached an agreement with Bayern for Kane to move to play in Bavaria.
Kane, who has signed a four-year deal with Bayern, departs Tottenham as the club’s all-time record goalscorer – 280 goals in 435 appearances in all competitions – having surpassed Tottenham great Jimmy Greaves’ landmark of 266 goals during last season. The 30-year-old Kane currently has 58 goals for the England national side in only 84 appearances.
“We sought over a long period of time to engage Harry and his representatives in several forms of contract extension, both short and long term,” Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy told the club’s website.
“Harry was clear, however, that he wanted a fresh challenge and would not be signing a new contract this summer. We have reluctantly, therefore, agreed to his transfer.
“I should like to thank Harry for everything he’s done for us, all the memories, all the records – we wish him and his family all the best for the future,” added Levy.
“It goes without saying, he’s always welcome back. He’s a much loved and valued member of the Spurs family, forever in our history.”
Despite all his goals for Tottenham, Kane didn’t win a trophy with the club.
“I’m very happy to be a part of FC Bayern now. Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I’ve always said that I want to compete and prove myself at the highest level during my career. This club is defined by its winning mentality – it feels very good to be here,” Kane told the Bundesliga club’s website.
Bayern’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said trying to sign Kane had been a “long process.”
“He is a perfect fit for us and the club’s DNA in terms of both football and character,” Dreesen told the Bayern website.
“World-class centre forwards have always been an important factor when FC Bayern has celebrated its greatest triumphs, and we’re convinced that Harry Kane will continue this success story.”
Kane made his Bayern debut on Saturday, coming on as a second-half substitute in the German Super Cup against RB Leipzig. The Munich club was comprehensively beaten 3-0 after Dani Olmo scored a hat-trick.
Contributor: Dan Wright contributed reporting.
