Waited your whole career for a trophy… and got it from the stands

It was January 15, 2011, when a then 17-year-old Harry Kane made his competitive debut. On a six-month loan at Leyton Orient, he played 17 minutes against Rochdale in England’s third division. Just a week later, he netted his first professional goal against Sheffield Wednesday.

His first appearance for Tottenham came that summer in a Europa League qualifier against Hearts, and he scored his first goal for Spurs later that year in December, against Shamrock Rovers. Kane made his England debut in March 2015 in a Euro qualifier against Lithuania — and scored in a 4-0 win.

But who would've thought that one of the finest footballers of the 21st century, not just in England but worldwide, would have to wait so long for his first piece of silverware?

The London-born striker, who turns 32 this July, could finally lift his first trophy this Saturday if Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig away (16.30) in Bundesliga’s 32nd round. Bayern currently lead second-placed Bayer Leverkusen by eight points, with just three rounds left.

It’s been 14 years and over three months — exactly 5,222 days — since Kane made that senior debut for Leyton Orient. Now the only question is whether that’s long enough for his first trophy, or if the wait will drag on a bit longer.

Fate, however, has other plans — Kane won’t be on the pitch. A yellow card picked up in added time during the first half against Mainz last week means he’s suspended for the Leipzig match. All he can do now is watch nervously from the stands, hoping his teammates finish the job and seal the title.

In a way, maybe that’s for the best. Kane has developed a reputation for bad luck in finals and crucial games. Sure, he spent most of his career at “nearly-there” Tottenham, but he came close to silverware several times — only to fall just short.

Thomas Muller is expected to step in for Kane, and it’ll be an emotional title for him too — he’s set to leave Bayern at the end of the season.

Even if things don’t go Bayern’s way in Leipzig, they still have two more chances to secure the title — hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach next weekend and closing the season away at Hoffenheim.

All signs point to the end of one of football’s longest-running jokes: that Kane “has all his trophies tattooed” — when in fact, he has none.

BUNDESLIGA - MATCHDAY 32

Friday

Heidenheim - Bochum 0-0

Saturday

16.30: (2.15) M' gladbach (3.95) Hoffenheim (3.20)

16.30: (4.70) RB Leipzig (4.60) Bayern (1.67)

16.30: (2.85) St.Pauli (3.35) Stuttgart (2.50)

16.30: (2.70) Union Berlin (3.35) Werder (2.60)

19.30: (1.33) Dortmund (5.50) Wolfsburg (8.50)

Sunday

16.30: (1.90) Augsburg (3.75) Holstein Kiel (4.25)

18.30: (3.25) Freiburg (3.50) Leverkusen (2.30)

20.30: (2.40) Mainz (3.60) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.00)

***odds are subject to change***