Both players left their London clubs to seek new challenges in Germany in the summer of 2023. In the end, what they received was completely opposite.

On the evening of April 14, Bayer Leverkusen had a 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen, a result that helped this club win the Bundesliga Silver Plate in 5 rounds. After more than a decade of dominating Germany’s highest tournament, Bayern Munich officially lost their throne.

Leverkusen’s victory means Granit Xhaka has the first major title of his career at the top 5 European national league level. In his first year playing for the home team BayArena, the Swiss midfielder contributed greatly to helping the club become the new Bundesliga king.

Before moving to Leverkusen, Xhaka played for Arsenal from 2016-2023. After 7 seasons representing London, this player scored 23 goals in 297 matches in all competitions, won 2 FA Cup titles, 2 English Super Cups. And in the Premier League, Granit Xhaka is empty-handed.

This season, Xhaka plays an important role on the journey to conquer the Bundesliga Silver Plate. The 31-year-old midfielder has played an indispensable role in Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak since the beginning of the season. Experts say that the signing of Xhaka by BayArena football team is considered one of the key factors to help the club fly high.

Earlier in the season, Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso had a lot of praise for Xhaka after the draw against Bayern Munich. He said: “Xhaka has made a big impact on Leverkusen from day one. He is an extremely important player for us. If you have good midfielders, the team will play better.”

Meanwhile, Leverkusen’s sporting director, Simon Rolfes, also appreciated the Swiss midfielder. He stated his opinion: “I am very satisfied with Xhaka’s performance. He is an excellent player, a card that keeps the pace in Leverkusen’s play. A leader on and off the field.”

Xhaka’s joy turned into sadness for Harry Kane. On the day Leverkusen became the new Bundesliga king, social network users suddenly mentioned the Bayern Munich striker, along with mocking comments.

Like Xhaka, Kane also left Tottenham Hotspurs – the London team in the summer of 2023 – to find Bayern. In the new land, the British spearhead is expected to quench their thirst for titles.

While playing for Tottenham, Kame played the role of one of the best strikers in the world. However, Spurs are not a strong force in the Premier League, a team capable of competing for the title. Therefore, after more than a decade of serving the London club, Kane did not receive any noble titles.

It seemed that coming to Bayern would change the situation, but things were not as rosy as the English striker imagined. Existing in Kane is an unresolvable paradox. The 30-year-old striker continuously breaks scoring records, currently has 32 goals in 49 matches in all competitions. In the Bundesliga alone, the former Tottenham star scored 32 goals in 29 matches. However, Bayern is still empty-handed in the domestic arena.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern lost the championship to Leverkusen. At the German National Cup, the Bavarian giant was also eliminated early. Witnessing Bayern’s erratic performance, fans even joked that Kane had brought bad luck from England to Germany and haunted the home team at Allianz Arena. Before Leverkusen won the Bundesliga, Bayern had 11 consecutive years at the top

The only arena for Kane to hold on to hope of avoiding a blank season is the UEFA Champions League, where Bayern just won a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the quarterfinals against Arsenal. However, the European Cup is always an unpredictable tournament. No one knows anything in advance. Bayern is also not a team that is overestimated in its ability to win the championship.