Harry Kane responds to Michael Owen saying he was ‘nuts’ to leave the Premier League

Harry Kane has responded to Michael Owen after the former Liverpool star called him ‘nuts’ for leaving the Premier League to join Bayern Munich two years ago.

The 32-year-old ended his 19-year association with Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023 when he moved to Bayern to play in the Bundesliga.

Kane’s decision did not go down well with Owen who openly criticised the striker as he was just 48 goals away from breaking Alan Shearer’s Premier League record.

The England international has now responded to Owen’s comments on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast .

Kane told the BBC 5 Live Sport : “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.

“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.”

Kane came under a lot of criticism when he left his boyhood club Tottenham to join Bayern .

But we think he made the right decision to relocate his life to southern Germany.

Kane said he is very happy at the club and feel he is improving as a player.

He has been a top performer for the Bavarians over the last two years, netting 91 times in 100 appearances. That means he has scored at a rate of nearly one goal per game for the German giants.

The experienced centre-forward failed to lift the Bundesliga title in his debut campaign, despite recording 36 goals in 32 top-flight games.

However, Kane achieved that feat last season as he powered his team to the league title with 36 direct goal contributions.

His performances in the Champions League last campaign were also praiseworthy, although Bayern’s European journey came to an end in the quarter-finals following a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan.

Stats from Transfermarkt