Bayern Munich's Harry Kane to receive second European Golden Shoe on Aug 19

MUNICH — Bayern Munich star striker Harry Kane is set to win his second Golden Shoe award on Aug 19, after he finished the 2025-26 season as Europe’s most prolific goalscorer with 36 goals.

Created in the 1967-68 season, the Golden Shoe was formerly awarded to the top scorer in any European league, but in 1997 it was changed to use a ranking system that favours players in higher-ranked leagues. 

The award is presented by European Sports Media, an association of leading European sports publications.

The 33-year-old will receive the award at a presentation ceremony jointly hosted by his club Bayern and the German Bundesliga at the Bayern Museum in Munich, according to the Bundesliga website.

The England captain previously won the Golden Shoe in 2023-24, also after scoring 36 goals. He joins an exclusive list of players who have won it twice — Eusebio, Gerd Muller, Dudu Georgescu, Fernando Gomes, Mario Jardel, Thierry Henry, Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski.

Lionel Messi has won the Golden Shoe six times, while Cristiano Ronaldo has triumphed four times.

Kane earned 72 points in the Golden Shoe standings this past campaign as he led Bayern to the German treble — Bundesliga, Franz Beckenbauer Supercup and DFB Cup. 

That put him ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (27 goals, 54 points) and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe (25 goals, 50 points).

“Harry Kane has been shaping the Bundesliga and international football for years with performances at an outstanding level,” said Marc Lenz, managing director of the Bundesliga, in a statement released on Aug 10.

“With 36 goals in the Bundesliga last season, he once again demonstrated his exceptional quality and goal-scoring instinct. Winning the Golden Shoe for a second time is an extraordinary achievement and underlines his consistency at world-class level.”

Jan-Christian Dreesen, Bayern’s chief executive, also paid tribute to Kane, telling the club’s website: “Unusually for a striker, he puts his responsibility to the team above personal success: He’s always thinking about his team-mates, on and off the pitch.

“His attitude, ability and character make him the most complete striker of his generation — and an absolute role model beyond the field of play. Harry Kane simply has class — and deserves every trophy in the world.”

The club also noted that Kane’s 73 goals in 65 competitive appearances for club and country over the past season meant “he registered the second-highest goal tally in a single season in the 21st century”.

It added that only Messi in the 2011-12 campaign, when he turned out for Spanish giants Barcelona, scored more. The Argentinian forward netted 82 goals in 69 appearances that season.

At the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, Kane scored six goals, four fewer than Golden Boot winner Mbappe as he helped England to a third-place finish.

Kane’s latest success is another boost to the Bundesliga. Muller and Lewandowski also won the Golden Shoe while they were playing in Germany’s top flight.

The award ceremony on Aug 19 will be streamed live across the Bundesliga’s official channels and will be available in German and English.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.