‘I keep all the balls’: Harry Kane breaks Wayne Rooney’s Champions League record with rare hat-trick
Kane is the competition’s top-scoring Englishman after scoring four as Bayern hit Dinamo Zagreb for nine to launch their campaign in style
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Harry Kane was delighted to be in the same “conversation” as Wayne Rooney after breaking his Champions League record in style.
The Bayern Munich striker went into Tuesday night’s clash with Dinamo Zagreb needing one goal to equal Rooney’s record for an Englishman of 30 in the competition’s main draw.
Ninety minutes later, the current England captain was three ahead of one of his predecessors having plundered four goals in a 9-2 win at the Allianz Arena, three of them from the penalty spot.
Kane told Prime Video: “Whenever you’re in a conversation with Wayne Rooney, it means you’re doing something well. He’s one of the greatest English players and one of the best players there was in the game. It’s a nice achievement.”
Kane needed just 19 minutes to match Rooney’s mark from the spot and doubled his tally from open play 12 minutes after the interval before converting twice more from 12 yards. The 31-year-old said: “It’s the first time I’ve ever had three penalties in one game. It was a different feeling for me, but to score four goals is fantastic.
“To help the team in any way possible is important. Whether they’re penalties or normal finishes, I’ll take them all. It was a great night for us.”
If Kane added a new record to his haul of honours, there will also be a nice surprise for three-year-old son Louis when he gets up on Wednesday morning.
The striker said: “I keep all the balls after hat-tricks. The lads might be sick of signing them, but keep them coming.
“My son Louis, he loves playing football right now. He’s only three, but I’ll take it home and put it next to his bed and he’ll be happy when he wakes up in the morning.”
Bayern led 3-0 at the break with Raphael Guerreiro and Michael Olise also on the scoresheet, and although Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara briefly dragged the visitors back into it, Kane’s second-half hat-trick and further goals from Olise and substitutes Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka extended their perfect start to the season under Vincent Kompany.
Kane said: “We’ve come back with a good energy. We’ve been hungry. You saw that straight away in pre-season with the new coach. Everyone has a point to prove here and we’ve started the season that way.
“The way the coach wants us to press and be intense with and without the ball is important. We know we can dominate teams with the quality we have.”
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