Vincent Kompany says Harry Kane 'ageing like fine wine' ahead of Champions League clash

Kane has netted 12 goals over 11 Champions League matches this term, featuring strikes in each fixture of the stunning quarter-final triumph over Real Madrid.

In total, he has 53 strikes from 45 outings across all competitions for Bayern since the start of the season.

Such figures are astonishing for any striker, particularly for a player nearing his 33rd birthday in July, who frequently drops back to aid the build-up play during matches instead of merely preserving stamina for moments in the penalty area.

"He was an incredible goal-scorer, a striker who could find a way to score goals from any position, whether it be headers, left foot, right foot, distance shots," Kompany said of how his perception of Kane has changed since the forward left England in 2023.

"I think his finishing was never underestimated, and I think his leadership was never underestimated either because he has had that role for his team and for his country.

"Obviously what we see a lot more is just his distribution and his workrate for the team, and his game intelligence in general.

"To combine that side of his game with the numbers he has, you have to do the job to help the team progress and then still arrive in the box, so it is not an easy thing.

"That is something we have seen and been able to enjoy, and that was maybe underestimated at the time in England, but he is ageing like fine wine so I am just enjoying seeing that side of his game for us as well."

Kane and Bayern return to Paris, the venue of their 2-1 success in the league phase back in November, where the ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward was outshone by Luis Diaz, who netted both goals for PSG before receiving a red card.

The teams also faced off twice during the previous campaign, Bayern securing a 1-0 victory at home in Munich for the Champions League league phase in November 2024, before PSG exacted revenge by winning the Club World Cup quarter-final in the United States.

'Always very tight'

"You go through each game against them and it has always been very tight, we won a couple, they won one, but the games were so tight that they could have been different," admitted Kompany.

"Luis Enrique (the PSG coach) said it would be about details and that has never been more true."

Bayern have clinched the Bundesliga crown and advanced to the German Cup final, whereas PSG stand on the verge of securing yet another Ligue 1 title while pursuing consecutive Champions League victories.

"There are no miracle solutions, no magic wands. The only thing we have is the advantage of having played against Paris quite a lot now, but it is the same for them," said Kompany when asked how to stop the French side.

"They are dangerous on the counter and from positional play but if you look at our team we have the same qualities."

Kompany faces a touchline ban for the match following his caution against Real in the quarter-finals, with Bayern also missing Raphael Guerreiro and Serge Gnabry.

Gnabry's unavailability paves the way for Jamal Musiala to start, as he confronts the opposition where he fractured his leg in last July's Club World Cup meeting.