England international Kane had a fellow No.9 in his sights during a productive debut season in German football. On the back of leaving Premier League side Tottenham in 2023, the Three Lions skipper registered 36 Bundesliga goals when landing the Golden Boot.
Collective honours remained elusive that year, but a top-flight title in 2024-25 brought Kane’s long wait for major silverware to a close - as he finished as the division’s leading scorer again.
Kane has already matched his Bundesliga output from last term this time around, with the target being found on 26 occasions. He has netted six times across his last four appearances, with a brace against Werder Bremen taking him to 500 career goals - becoming the first Englishman to reach that milestone.
He said of that achievement: “Of course, I'm proud to have scored 500 goals. But it was hard work! That's why I'm happy that I've achieved it."
Bayern have 12 Bundesliga fixtures left to take in this season. Kane needs 15 goals to tie Lewandowski and 16 to overtake him. His current strike rate suggests that target should be within reach.
The 32-year-old has told Sky Sports Deutschland of chasing it down: “Anything is possible! Of course, there's still a long way to go and it's an incredible record. I'm in good form and happy to have scored again today and helped the team.”
Kane could be rotated during trophy challenges
While individual records are nice to have, Kane is a team player and will always prioritise team prizes. With that in mind, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany does not expect Lewandowski’s record to weigh heavy on Kane’s mind.
The Belgian tactician has said: “I assume that the league title is much more important for him than the record. But maybe I'm wrong because I was a defender not a striker!. He's Harry Kane, he has and will always score goals.”
Not everybody is convinced that Kane can get close to Lewandowski, despite time being on his side. With Bayern in the hunt for domestic and continental trophies, it may be that he is rotated out of Kompany’s team at times.
Ex-Bayern midfielder Dietmar Hamann has said: “Bayern will probably get a few more penalties, and it doesn't look like he'll miss another one. But I can imagine that when the Champions League starts again, he'll take a break for one or two games. I think that will be difficult.”