Harry Kane made to wait to make English history as Bayern Munich shatter 54-year Bundesliga record

No Harry Kane, no problem.

The English superstar was an unused substitute as Bayern Munich thrashed St Pauli 5-0 on Saturday.

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Jamal Musiala opened the scoring for the Bavarian giants in the ninth minute, although St Pauli made it to half-time only one goal down.

But the visitors emerged for the second half with renewed attacking vigour as Leon Goretzka, Michael Olise, Nicolas Jackson and Raphael Guerreiro all got on the scoresheet.

The victory helped Bayern go 12 points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga, but Saturday’s result was far more than just the 24th league win for Vincent Kompany’s side.

What Bundesliga record did Bayern break?

Bayern’s victory over St Pauli helped them set the new benchmark for the most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season.

The 5-0 mauling took Bayern’s tally to a whopping 105 goals for the campaign, shattering the record which had stood for 54 years.

Unsurprisingly, the previous record also belonged to Bayern and was set in the 1971/72 season when they scored 101 goals.

However, with five more league fixtures remaining, Kompany’s side could stretch the tally even further.

As for Kane, he must have had itchy feet watching his Bayern teammates run rings around St Pauli.

What feat is Kane close to achieving?

Given the home side’s porous defence on Saturday, Kane would have viewed it as a prime opportunity to create English football history.

Had Kane scored against St Pauli, he would have brought up his 50th goal of the season across all competitions for Bayern.

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It is a feat no Englishman had previously accomplished in a single club season.

However, Kane may not have to wait much longer to reach the half-century given Bayern return to action on Wednesday against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The German side boast a 2-1 lead going into the second leg at the Allianz Arena thanks to goals from Kane and Luis Diaz, with Kylian Mbappe’s 74th-minute strike keeping Real in the tie.

Regardless of whether Kane scores on Wednesday, he can lay claim to a remarkable Champions League feat.

A double in Bayern’s 4-1 win over Atalanta in March helped Kane reach 50 Champions League goals in just 66 games.

It meant Kane was the third-fastest player to score 50 goals in Europe’s elite club competition, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the milestone.

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Only Erling Haaland and Ruud van Nistelrooy could boast a shorter time span to 50 Champions League goals, having done so in 49 and 62 games respectively.

Kane’s blistering form in front of goal this season will no doubt have England supporters salivating given the World Cup is only months away.

Gerrard: Kane is world class and always has been

One figure who is especially excited about Kane leading the line for the Three Lions this summer is Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

Speaking on the Sports Breakfast, Gerrard hopes the ‘world class’ Kane can finish the season in top physical condition and inspire England to its first men’s trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

“I love him just as much as you,” Gerrard said.

“He’s been absolutely phenomenal for club and country.

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“I just hope he can continue this form going into the World Cup, because I think he’s key and instrumental in terms of where we get to.

“So we need to hope that he comes out of the season well in terms of physical points of view, and he can come and finish the season off with glory for England.

“But I love Harry Kane, I love everything about him. Everyone talks about his goals and his numbers, but his game intelligence, the way he drops in, his game understanding makes him world class.

“I don’t care what anyone says, he’s world class and he always has been in my view.”