Woltemade vs. Kane

Aged 32 and 23 respectively, Kane and Woltemade are at different stages of their impressive careers but their presence and performances at the MHP Arena at the weekend will likely be equally important to their team's chances of lifting the title. 

Although the goal stats and career paths may contrast significantly, both players do share an important milestone: they each lifted a first major club team title at the end of 2024/25, which is why they now come face off in the inaugural Franz Beckenbauer Supercup in Stuttgart.  

Watch: Stuttgart host Franz Beckenbauer Supercup

Kane's Bayern were crowned Bundesliga champions, with England's record marksman providing significant ammunition to the cause. Netting 26 goals along the way in his second season in Bayern colours meant that Kane was the division's top scorer for the second year running. The honour of being named the Bundesliga's Best Player of the campaign duly followed.

Woltemade may one day get his own hands on the Torjägerkanone - the trophy presented to the Bundesliga's top scorer - but a first season at Stuttgart that produced 12 top-tier goals was reason enough for the Bremen native to celebrate his debut campaign with the Swabians.

Perhaps more importantly for the club, the striker scored five goals in five games - including the opener in the Berlin showpiece - as VfB went all the way to DFB Cup glory. 

Watch: Harry Kane's super season

"When I was little, I always wanted to be able to achieve these goals someday," Woltemade told the DFB after a memorable season that took in a run to the UEFA European U21 Championship final - a tournament in which he finished top marksman with six goals. A senior bow with Germany preceded those feats.

"The fact that all of this is happening so quickly is very exciting and also very wild; I'm very happy," the talented forward added.

Kane's joy after finally fulfilling his desire for a first major team trophy was equally as pronounced. “It’s nice to be on the other side to be honest, to have that celebration I’ve not had before,” he told the Guardian.

“I’ve seen my fair share of other teams lifting trophies; it was something that was missing from my résumé," he added.

Watch: Why Nick Woltemade is a man in demand

Of course, on a personal level, Kane's CV has always been otherworldly. At the Tottenham Hotspur academy from the age of 11, the Londoner went on to become Spurs' all-time top goalscorer and was a winner of the English Premier League's Golden Boot on three occasions. He is by far and away England's leading scorer with 73 goals in 107 appearances, too.

Woltemade's early career at Werder Bremen contrasted significantly with Kane's first steps at Tottenham. Although he was the Green-Whites' youngest-ever Bundesliga debutant, Woltemade struggled to find form with his hometown club. A loan to third-tier Elversberg significantly changed those fortunes.

Voted 3. Liga's Player of the Season for 2022/23, Woltemade's 10 goals in 31 games helped Elversberg to their second promotion in a row, the Saarland-based side this time making it into Bundesliga 2. 

Stuttgart subsequently came calling and with it a four-year deal. The striker - whose father has always been a keen Stuttgart fan - settled far quicker than VfB officials or head coach Sebastian Hoeneß could have hoped for.

Such was the young forward's impact, the Stuttgart tactician was likely left kicking himself for leaving his new signing out the team's UEFA Champions League squad, a decision Woltemade said that he ultimately understood, given the experienced firepower available to VfB at the time.  

Much like Kane, Woltemade says he is a player who "... thrives when I feel comfortable, that’s when I play my best."

For his Bayern counterpart, "The most important thing is that you know what you're trying to achieve, that your teammates respect you for how you work and the club respect you and the fans respect you."

Watch: Kane named 2024/25 Player of the Season

Their similar attitudes led to solid returns on the goalscoring front last time out. Sure, Woltemade's 17 goals in all competitions were no match for Kane's 41 strikes (FIFA Club World Cup included), but then, the latter did play almost 20 games more than his young counterpart in 2024/25. 

The key point ahead of the duo's meeting this Saturday is that both players are high on morale following their respective successes last season. Scoring goals and adding a Franz Beckenbauer Supercup-winning medal is what Kane and Woltemade will next be aiming to achieve in the weekend's big showdown.