Harry Kane had his key qualities overlooked when he made history as a 14-year-old with Tottenham, Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany believes.
England captain Kane became Tottenham and the Three Lions’ top scorer before leaving for Bayern in 2023, where he will finish the season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer for the third campaign in a row and was named Player of the Season in Germany’s top flight for 2024/25.
“He’s like a fine wine that gets better with age,” Kompany said of the 32-year-old, who hopes to add to his 12 Champions League goals this season when Bayern visit Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday.
“The people of England could see him scoring goals, his finishing and leadership were not underestimated.
“We’ve also seen his other qualities, like his football intelligence. We appreciate that now – maybe it was somewhat underestimated in England. I also enjoy that part of his game.”
Analysis: How Bayern will ‘miss’ Kompany vs PSG
Kompany will not lead Bayern in the first leg due to suspension and the Belgian said he will not repeat Jose Mourinho’s plot to evade a ban by hiding in the kit basket when his Chelsea side played Die Roten in the quarter-finals in 2005.
“I’m 1.92 meters tall,” explained the Manchester City legend. “I can’t get into the laundry basket.
“I started as a player manager [at Anderlecht]. Whenever you were injured, you could be on the touchline. Unfortunately I was often injured, so I have a lot of experience in this area.
“Where am I sitting, somewhere in the stadium… maybe not too far from you [reporters].
“Our plans are clear. I know so far what I can do and how I can support the team. I’m not there for that part. As for dealing with it as a team, we can do that.”
Analyzing the team’s challenge during Kompany’s absence, Kane said “it will be up to us to do well on the pitch”.
“We will miss him on the phone,” admitted Kane, via Bayern’s website. “He is our manager – a coach who would like to be with us.”
PSG vs Bayern: Champions League holders ‘deserve praise’
Bayern and PSG both impressed with home and away wins in the quarter-finals, with the German club beating record 15-time champions Real Madrid and the French side beating reigning English champions Liverpool.
Each team has 38 goals in this season’s competition, although Bayern have played two fewer games. Kane has four more goals than any other player, three behind Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.
“In my opinion, the defending champions have every right to demand what they want,” Kompany said when asked about PSG’s confidence.
“We are fighting for the title that PSG won last week. They deserve praise, we want what they have.
“We are hungry… we hope that during these two games, we will be a better team.”
Bayern have already won the Bundesliga. PSG have four games left in the top flight and are six points adrift of second-placed Lens, who they visit in their Ligue 1 penalty shootout of the season.
When is PSG vs Bayern? Champions League semi finals schedule
All semi-finals start at 20:00 BST.
| Repair | First Leg | Second Leg |
| PSG vs Bayern Munich | April 28 (Parc des Princes) | May 6 (Allianz Arena) |
| Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal | April 29 (Estadio Metropolitano) | May 5 (Emirates Stadium) |
You can see the full Champions League bracket here.
PSG vs Bayern: TV channel, live streaming online
Live TV streaming in the UK on Amazon Prime Video. Membership is £8.99 per month or £95 per year paid annually, with a half-price offer for fans aged between 18 and 22.
A free 30-day trial is available.
