The most goals scored in the Bundesliga by an English player
- Harry Kane opened Bundesliga account on debut
- Striker became 13th Englishman to score in Bundesliga
- Kane has his sights on Tony Woodcock's record
Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich was fuelled by an ambition to play at the highest level and finally pack his trophy cabinet, but that doesn't mean he is done chasing goal records.
The England captain's exit at Tottenham came after an eighth-place Premier League finish in 2022/23 and, with only a year left on his contract in north London, Spurs eventually agreed to sell to the German giants after a protracted transfer saga.
Kane's bid to become the Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer is now officially on hold, but the striker wasted little time in netting for his new club when he bagged a goal and an assist in a victory over Werder Bremen.
Nevertheless, Kane's stellar display in Bayern's season opener was undoubtedly a sign of things to come. After teeing up Leroy Sane with a trademark sequence of Kane creation, he made the most of Alphonso Davies' surging run down the left by receiving the Canadian's infield pass and coolly dispatching Bayern's second of the night in their 4-0 rout.
Kane is now chasing new scoring records in a foreign land. It might not be long until he establishes himself as the most prolific Englishman ever in Bundesliga history.
Which Englishman has scored the most Bundesliga goals?
With Kane's first league goal for Bayern, there have now been 13 English goalscorers in the Bundesliga. However, several of these players enjoyed loan moves to the German top flight, so their scoring tallies are pretty low.
Tony Woodcock is currently the most prolific English player ever to feature in the Bundesliga. The former Nottingham Forest and Arsenal striker had two spells at FC Koln, scoring 39 times in 131 league appearances. Kane could come close to matching that total in one season judging off his final campaign with Spurs where he netted 30 times in the Premier League.
Jadon Sancho proved a revelation at Borussia Dortmund, impressing with his creativity in the Bundesliga's space haven, and departed for Manchester United having scored 38 goals. Kevin Keegan arrived in Germany a couple of years before Woodcock for a then-German record £500,000 as he signed for Hamburg in 1977. Keegan was named European Footballer of the Year in back-to-back seasons and scored 32 times in 90 Bundesliga games.
Jude Bellingham was a regular threat at Dortmund before becoming a Galactico in 2023, but the lower ranked English scorers mainly comprise former loan stars such as Reiss Nelson, who scored seven times during his sole season at Hoffenheim, and Ryan Sessegnon, who never got going at Hoffenheim.
Nelson's seven strikes meant he became the fifth most prolific Englishman in Bundesliga history. However, it won't be long until he's usurped by Kane, who has Woodcock's record in his sights.
Every English scorer in the Bundesliga
Rank | Player | Appearances | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Tony Woodcock | 131 | 39 |
2. | Jadon Sancho | 104 | 38 |
3. | Kevin Keegan | 90 | 32 |
4. | Jude Bellingham | 92 | 12 |
5. | Reiss Nelson | 23 | 7 |
6= | Peter Hobday | 61 | 5 |
6= | Owen Hargreaves | 145 | 5 |
8. | Jamie Bynoe-Gittens* | 19 | 3 |
9= | Ryan Sessegnon | 23 | 2 |
9= | Jonjoe Kenny | 60 | 2 |
9= | Reece Oxford* | 84 | 2 |
12= | Harry Kane* | 1 | 1 |
12= | Lee Buchanan | 21 | 1 |