King Kane keeps team in mind as PSG looms

BERLIN — Having decisively ended his own silverware drought with back-to-back Bundesliga titles, Harry Kane's team-first approach has been key for a Bayern Munich side now chasing European club soccer's biggest prize.

Whoever makes it through Bayern's Champions League semifinal against holder Paris Saint-Germain, with the first leg in the French capital on Tuesday, will be the favorite for the final in Budapest in May.

Last season's Bundesliga title was Kane's maiden team trophy, at the age of 31. Having added another league crown this season, Bayern's habit of hoovering up trophies is already rubbing off on the England captain.

As always, Kane's individual statistics this year have been stunning. The former Tottenham forward has 53 goals in 45 games across all competitions, the most by an Englishman in any league in almost a century.

And, this time around, Kane's goals have come at crucial moments of big games.

Against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital, his long-range strike proved to be the winner.

In the second leg, in Germany, Kane's first-half goal brought Bayern level on the night and put it ahead in a quarterfinal tie which was in danger of getting away from the Bavarians.

'I'm here to win'

Kane left England 47 goals shy of Alan Shearer's Premier League scoring record, with some commentators wondering why he would leave with the mark in sight.

But, while he stacked up a clutch of individual records rather than team honors, the striker's pursuit of goals was part of his team focus.

Since moving to Bayern, a club with quality across the pitch and a number of scoring threats, Kane often drops back to help in the build-up, sometimes deep into midfield.

Kane's willingness to sacrifice individual honors for team objectives has never been more evident than in recent weeks, when Bayern had the league largely wrapped up and needed to focus on Europe.

After Bayern beat Dortmund in February, Kane had scored four consecutive braces. With 30 goals in 24 games, he looked on course for Robert Lewandowski's single season record of 41 goals.

But, since then, Kane has started just one of Bayern's seven league games, as Vincent Kompany has wrapped him in cotton wool for the European stage.

After coming off the bench to help Bayern come from three goals down to win 4-3 at Mainz on Saturday, Kane told reporters where his true focus lies.

"It'll be tough," Kane said of chasing down Lewandowski's record.

"Obviously I'm here to try and win the Champions League and try and win the German Cup. So, ultimately, that takes priority. All I can do is, when I'm on the pitch, try and score, try and impact the game."

Undoubtedly, the biggest star in Bayern's dressing room, Kane could have pushed back against his benching, but he backed Kompany's call with loftier goals in mind.

'Something special'

Bayern was always expected to beat Mainz on Saturday, but the way it overran its opponents in the second-half showed its unrelenting hunger and desire.

"This team is truly something special — that team spirit, that mentality — it is truly unique," sporting director Christoph Freund said afterwards.

"That gives us a tremendous amount of energy for Tuesday."

Kane called PSG "the reigning European champions for a reason," adding that the French champion is "a really strong side with some great quality and is well-coached".

"There's going to be a lot of activity. It's going to come down to moments and quality," he said.

One challenge for Bayern is the absence of coach Kompany, who is suspended for the opening leg.

Kompany's English assistant Aaron Danks will be in the dugout, but Kane said Bayern, which has lost just twice in all competitions this season, is well-drilled enough without the Belgian needing to bark orders from his technical area.

"Of course, we'll miss him on the sideline — he's our boss and our leader," Kane said. "But everyone knows what needs to be done."