Harry Kane is having a great time in Germany. With Bayern Munich, the England captain has already ended his trophy drought.
In his first two seasons, Kane has already won two Golden Boot awards in Bundesliga.
Before joining Bayern in 2023, Kane had already established himself as one of the finest goalscorers in Europe.
Kane had three Premier League Golden Boot awards while representing Tottenham Hotspur.
But, before Harry Kane became Tottenham’s talisman, another striker believed he was the club’s undisputed No. 1.
Emmanuel Adebayor had arrived from Arsenal with a big reputation, a leading role and a salary to match, becoming Spurs’ highest earner as the club tried to close the gap on England’s elite.
But as ex-Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel recalls, everything changed the moment Kane emerged from his loan spells and stepped into the senior picture.
Adebayor had initially impressed during his loan spell, which earned him a permanent deal. Yet, managerial changes disrupted his position in the team.
Under Andre Villas-Boas, Adebayor fell out of favour despite his status as the club’s highest earner. This created pressure on the coaching staff and chairman Daniel Levy.
Friedel told talkSPORT that Tim Sherwood’s arrival in 2013 became the turning point.
With deep knowledge of Kane’s ability from the academy, Sherwood immediately backed the young striker.
That decision reshaped Tottenham’s attack, even as Adebayor remained on a sizeable contract.
Mauricio Pochettino later mended relations with Adebayor before finding a solution that allowed him to join Crystal Palace, freeing Kane to lead the line without internal competition.
As Friedel put it, the rest became history, with Kane growing into one of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers.
He also offered a glimpse into Levy’s approach, describing him as honest, tough, and uncompromising, especially when expensive signings were not being selected.
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