Son and Kane pursue their first professional championship

Son and Kane pursue their first professional championship. January. 13, 2025 08:54. by Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com.
England's Premier League (EPL) duo, Harry Kane (32, Bayern Munich) and Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham), are drawing attention this year as fans wonder if they will each achieve their first professional championship with their respective teams.

Kane and Son played together for eight seasons from the 2015–2016 season at Tottenham, forming a prolific partnership. During that time, they combined for a record 47 EPL goals (Kane 23, Son 24). Despite their incredible chemistry, neither Kane, a product of Tottenham's youth academy, nor Son, who joined the club in 2015 after playing in the German Bundesliga, has ever lifted a professional trophy. While leading Tottenham, the team reached the finals of the 2018–2019 UEFA Champions League and the 2020–2021 English Football League Cup (Carabao Cup) but fell short, finishing as runners-up both times.

Kane, a three-time EPL Golden Boot winner, transferred to Bayern Munich in August 2023 in pursuit of silverware. Bayern Munich is the most successful team in Bundesliga history, with 32 league titles. However, in the previous season, before Kane’s arrival, Bayern finished third in the Bundesliga, ending their 12-year title-winning streak. They also failed to win the UEFA Champions League and the DFB-Pokal, finishing the season without a trophy. Similarly, Son’s Tottenham finished fifth in the EPL last season and failed to secure a title in any competition.

This season, Kane and Son are once again striving for their first professional championships. Bayern Munich began 2025 with a 1–0 away victory against Borussia M?nchengladbach in the Bundesliga's 16th round on Sunday. With this win, Bayern currently leads the Bundesliga standings with 39 points (12 wins, three draws, one loss), four points ahead of second-place Bayer Leverkusen (35 points, 10 wins, five draws, one loss). Kane scored the winning goal against M?nchengladbach with a penalty in the 68th minute, securing an important victory for his team.