Harry Kane has hit back at Michael Owen after the former England striker said he was ‘nuts’ for moving to Germany when on the verge of becoming the Premier League‘s record goalscorer.
Kane, 32, left his boyhood club Tottenham in the summer of 2023 after a 19-year association with Spurs, moving to the Bundesliga giants as he searched for his first career trophy.
Owen was one of many to criticise Kane at the time of his move as he was on 213 Premier League goals for Spurs, and just 48 away from breaking Alan Shearer‘s tally.
Kane, who won the Bundesliga title with Bayern in May, on Monday responded to Owen’s comments on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
‘I heard it,’ said Kane, speaking ahead of England’s clash with Serbia on Tuesday.
‘Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’ve spent a bit of time with him but don’t know him well. Obviously, he is a Premier League great and an England great as well, so I’ll respect him as a person, but ultimately as he will know, everyone’s career is different – everyone’s decisions and motivations are different.
Harry Kane has hit back at Michael Owen after being called ‘nuts’ for leaving the Premier League to move to Germany
Owen hit out at Kane’s decision during an appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast
‘I know he was insinuating I went just for the trophy, but it was to be at the highest level for as long as possible, and I’m really happy in that sense of playing big games, title runs, big Champions League matches, Club World Cup quarter-final.
‘I feel I’m improving as a player, I’m pushing my limits as a player in terms of goalscoring. It’s hard not to hear things these days, but the decisions are best for me and I’m really happy that I made that decision and very happy at Bayern Munich now.’
Owen had said: ‘Harry Kane is just lethal; he’s a brilliant finisher. I disagreed with him going to Germany; I was outspoken about that. I still think he was nuts.
‘You’re on the verge of being the all-time Premier League goal scorer, you’ve got kids that are all in school. I mean, I just couldn’t see it. I don’t see it.
‘If you’re that desperate to win something, then do another year and then go. 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.
‘A great achievement would have been being the top goal scorer ever in the Premier League. That would have been unbelievable, and he could have won things along the way.’