Harry Kane is setting his sights on a potential Champions League final with Bayern Munich, while Jack Grealish reflects on his own experience of playing in a UCL final with Manchester City. Despite the team’s victory, Grealish revealed that he didn’t celebrate Rodri’s decisive goal, offering a unique perspective on the intense moments that followed. Both players are focused on the big challenges ahead, aiming for even greater success in European football.
Harry Kane Eyes Big Matches, Including UCL Final at Bayern
Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane is still chasing his first trophy with the club.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker and England captain was unlucky to have his first season at Bayern coincide with Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten campaign at Bayer Leverkusen — marking Bayern’s first season in 12 years without a Bundesliga title.
But Kane is already setting his sights even higher.
“Of course, I want to get to the final and win the Champions League title,” Kane remarked in a Sport Bild interview from the beginning of October(as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “The Champions League is the biggest competition. If we somehow get our hands on the trophy, it would be a fantastic season, even more so if we won it in the Allianz Arena. It will be a tough journey, but one that I am prepared for. These games are always the big games. The atmosphere and the fans are always unbelievable.”
With the Final set to be held in Munich next May, Bayern, and Kane are working to secure the advantage of playing on home soil.
As for that trophy, after a defeat to Aston Villa and a heavy loss to FC Barcelona, Bayern will need to improve quickly — or risk being eliminated in the group stage.
“I Played in a Champions League Final for Man City, But Didn’t Celebrate Rodri’s Goal”
Rodri’s goal in Istanbul to secure the Champions League final sparked wild celebrations inside the stadium.
Jack Grealish and Nathan Ake were among the first to join the midfielder in his wild celebrations in front of 20,000 jubilant Manchester City fans. Meanwhile, Rico Lewis was swarmed by Cole Palmer and other substitutes as they stood on the touchline. After more than an hour of intense, nerve-wracking action, this was the moment of release.
After Manchester City weathered another 25 minutes of intense drama to secure the win, the goal was replayed countless times by supporters in the hours, days, and weeks that followed. And once you notice Phil Foden walking away from the celebrations, it’s hard to overlook it.
Foden has his arms raised inside the six-yard box, pleading for a penalty as Bernardo Silva’s cutback deflects off Francesco Acerbi. As the ball flies past him, Erling Haaland embraces the charging Rodri, and Silva turns away to celebrate with John Stones. Meanwhile, Foden stands alone, facing away from the goal. The midfielder, who had come on for the injured Kevin De Bruyne in that final, calmly walks back to his half, ready for the game to resume.
In The Blueprint, a new book detailing City’s journey to the pinnacle of world football, Foden reflects on the atmosphere within the squad during the final weeks of the season. He describes the transition from their thrilling Premier League title win over Arsenal to the historic FA Cup victory against United and ultimately to the Champions League triumph. As part of this story, the Stockport-born playmaker shares his thoughts during that iconic moment and how he made amends for it afterward.
“My brain just froze,” he said. “I was obviously delighted, but I think it was just a mixture of emotions because I was really happy and relieved that we had scored an important goal, but I didn’t want to celebrate too much because I knew we hadn’t finished the job yet and that I needed to stay in the zone, focus and not show too much emotion.
“Each player is different, but that was just how I reacted. I definitely celebrated at full-time once we got over the line! To be able to say that I have won the Champions League with my boyhood club means everything to me, really. It was the trophy that we all wanted for so long, but it just never looked like it was going to happen in previous years.
“But something felt different during this season, and I knew we had an unbelievable chance of finally winning it. To be able to lift that trophy in Istanbul in front of our fans was just incredible. I get goosebumps just thinking about it, to be honest.”
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