Bundesliga
Top 5 players who played for Bayern and Tottenham
Bayern Munich will face Tottenham Hotspur in two pre-season friendlies as they prepare for the 2024/25 campaign. Ahead of the matches in Seoul and London, bundesliga.com looks at some of the big names to have represented both clubs down the years...
>>> Find out more about Bayern's pre-season fixtures against Spurs
Having risen through the youth ranks at Tottenham, Kane made his debut for the club in the 2012/13 season before going on to score 280 goals for the club.
The Englishman set the Premier League alight for Spurs between 2015 and 2023, picking up three golden boots on the way to becoming the club’s all-time top-scorer.
Kane has not been able to stop scoring at international level too, picking up the golden boot at the World Cup in 2018 and becoming the Three Lions' record goalscorer in 2023. Having made the difficult decision to leave his beloved Tottenham in the summer of 2023, Kane joined Bayern and carried on where he left off in North London, scoring 36 of goals in his first season in the Bundesliga.
While he may have been disappointed by not adding silverware to an incredible first season in the Bundesliga, Kane is showing no signs of slowing down and it is surely a matter of time until his goals fire Bayern to another trophy.
Watch: Every Kane goal in the Bundesliga
Klinsmann, or ‘Klinsi’ as he’s affectionately known, can certainly be regarded as a legend for both clubs.
Despite not having played for either side for an extensive period of time, Klinsmann still managed to endear himself to both sets of fans with his goal scoring exploits and eye-catching celebrations. Over two spells at Tottenham, he scored 38 times in 68 appearances, while in his two years at Bayern his scoring record was equally astounding as he netted 48 goals in 84 appearances. In his time at both clubs, Klinsmann’s incredible form saw him named as player of year in both respective countries, winning it twice at Bayern (1994, 1998) and once at Tottenham (1995).
Aside from individual honours, Klinsmann won the UEFA Cup (1995/96) at Bayern as well as the Bundesliga title the following season in 1996/97. Even after his playing career Klinsmann found himself back at Bayern, but this time in a coaching position when he was hired in 2008. While his managerial stint didn’t go as plan, Klinsmann is still a firm fans favourite at the club.
Watch: Klinsmann's top 3 Bayern goals
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg
While many recognise him from his many seasons in the Premier League with Southampton and now Tottenham, midfield general Højbjerg initially made his name in the Bundesliga with Bayern.
Having joined Bayern from Brøndby in 2012, the Denmark international became the club’s youngest debutant at the time when he came on as a substitute against Nuremberg at the age of 17 years and 225 days in the 2012/13 season. Since then, players like Jamal Musiala and Paul Wanner have overtaken him as the club’s youngest players. Nevertheless, this highlights just how highly thought of Højbjerg was at Bayern, where he made 25 appearances before leaving permanently for the Premier League in 2016 with multiple DFB Cup and Bundesliga winner medals in his collection.
Since joining Tottenham in 2020, Højbjerg has gone on to make 184 appearances and cement himself as an ever-reliable midfielder for the club.
Having started his career with Sporting Lisbon, Dier joined Tottenham at 20 years old in 2014 and went on to make 365 appearances for the Lilywhites in 10 years before making the move to Bavaria.
During his time in North London, the defender reached the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League final and the 2020/21 Carabao Cup final and was used in both central midfield and centre-back, such is his versatility. He also established himself as an important member of the England national team during his time at Spurs, making 49 appearances since his debut in 2015, which includes a substitute appearance in the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia.
While he may not have mad as many headlines as his compatriot Kane after arriving at Bayern, Dier has been a consistent performer since coming into the side, and he will be hoping to build on his positive start to life at Bayern in the upcoming season.
Christian Ziege
Ziege spent seven years at Bayern between 1990 and 1997, making 227 appearances and firmly establishing himself as a Bayern legend in the process.
During his time in Munich, Ziege won two Bundesliga titles in 1993/94 and 1996/97, as well as the UEFA Cup in 1995/96. In addition to his success at club level, Ziege also made 72 appearances for Germany and was part of the 1996 European Championship winning side. After leaving Bayern in 1997, Ziege had spells at AC Milan, where he won a league title in 1998/99, Middlesborough and Liverpool, where he won two FA Cups (2001, 2002) and a League Cup (2001).
Ziege eventually joined Tottenham in 2001 and he went on to make 55 appearances for them before returning to the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2004.