Bayern Munich's Harry Kane hailed by German media after Mainz masterclass – "more to his game"

Harry Kane produced another influential performance for Bayern Munich as the Bundesliga champions maintained their position at the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Mainz on Saturday.

The England captain assisted both goals as Vincent Kompany's side secured an important three points at the MEWA Arena, with Joshua Kimmich and Lennart Karl finding the back of the net.

Kane first teed up Kimmich in the 14th minute, with the midfielder finding the top corner to give the visitors an early advantage, before setting up Karl in the 57th minute.

Phillip Tietz then scored a consolation goal for the hosts in stoppage time, but Bayern emerged victorious to remain first in the Bundesliga on goal difference.

What did the German media say about England captain Harry Kane?

Harry Kane leading the Bundesliga in assists https://t.co/2iMHUnpU1k

— Bavarian Football Works (@BavarianFBWorks) November 7, 2026

Kane's two assists were particularly significant as they took his tally in the league this season to eight, meaning he has already equalled his best return in a single Bundesliga campaign.

According to Opta, no player has registered more assists during the first nine matchdays of a Bundesliga campaign since they began collecting the data in the 2004-05 season.

Kane is now on course to surpass his best return of 14 assists in a league season, achieved during his final campaign at Tottenham Hotspur in 2020-21, and the German media was full of praise for his performance against Mainz.

Newspaper BILD said he "glänzt diesmal vor allem als Vorbereiter"which means that Kane "shone primarily as a provider".

However, they also noted that "the only thing missing for the Ballon d'Or winner was a goal of his own", with Kane failing to score in his last four games across all competitions for Bayern.

T-online, meanwhile, wrote that Kane "impressed with his excellent vision, ability to switch play, and passing" but that he was "unlucky with his own finishing".

The official Bundesliga website wrote an article titled "Bayern Munich's Harry Kane shows there is more to his game in Mainz win".

The piece stated that Kane's return in front of goal has been "slightly below his admittedly high standards", but stated that he "remains directly involved in Bayern’s success on the pitch" and that it was "no surprise Bayern were eager to offer him a new contract".

What next for Harry Kane and Bayern Munich?

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— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) November 7, 2026

Kane will be keen to get back to his best in front of goal, but it is great to see him demonstrating his value in other ways after extending his stay at Bayern until 2029.

Kimmich highlighted this fact after the win over Mainz, stating: "He set up both goals today, and he also set one up against Atletico Madrid.

"He's always heavily involved, and even when he doesn't set any goals up, he's still very important for our game because - his goals aside - he has qualities we really need."

The 33-year-old remains one of Europe's most prolific goalscorers, having bagged 10 goals in 15 games across all competitions so far, but his ability to create opportunities for teammates has become an increasingly important part of his game.

Bayern will be back in action next weekend when they host Koln and it will be very interesting to see what impact Kane has on that game.