Is Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick a better goal-scorer than Bayern Munich's Harry Kane?
A quick glance at the Bundesliga’s top scorer charts will tell you that Bayern Munich's Harry Kane is the finest finisher in Germany’s top flight this season. Dig a little deeper, though, and the stats suggest that his rival at Bayer Leverkusen, Patrik Schick, may actually be superior in front of goal.
With 16 Bundesliga strikes to his name so far, Schick is some way behind Kane (21) in the race for the golden boot. He also trails the England captain when it comes to creating, with just one assist to Kane’s eight. The latter hasn’t achieved this feat by playing many more games than his closest rivals, either. Schick has featured in 21 games from a possible 24, just one fewer than the Englishman.
Those numbers all reinforce Kane’s status as the Bundesliga’s most feared attacker, following an impressive 36-goal haul in his rookie season last term. Yet there are strong reasons to suggest the Londonder is actually being outshone by Schick this time around.
Watch: All of Patrik Schick's goals in 2024/25
The Leverkusen man may have fewer goals, but he is scoring them at a more reliable rate – hitting the back of the net every 61 minutes (compared with one every 83 for Kane). Due to injuries and fierce competition within the Leverkusen squad – particularly from Nigerian sharpshooter Victor Boniface – Schick has started just 12 games this season, playing 982 minutes in total. Kane, by comparison, has started all but one of the games he’s been available for, clocking up almost twice as many minutes (1,738).
What’s more, while Kane’s tally features nine Bundesliga penalties – a perfect record, no less – Schick is yet to take one for Leverkusen this season. In terms of non-penalty goals, Schick is out in front, with 16 goals to Kane’s 12.
Moreover, Kane has scored three Bundesliga hat-tricks this term – more than any other player – but Schick is the only player to have scored four in a match, as he did against Freuburg on Matchday 15.
In a recent interview with bundesliga.com, Schick insisted he could have had a lot more goals this season had injuries not played their part. “It’s a nice number, for sure, but we know how the start of the season was,” he said. “For me, it was not that good, but I didn’t give up. I still wanted to be ready when my chance came, and we don’t know what might have happened if I played regularly from the start of the season. You have to be ready because if you are not, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here and talking about it.”
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Schick’s highest Bundesliga tally to date is the 24 strikes he managed in 27 appearances across the 2021/22 season. Even then, he was scoring a goal roughly every 87 minutes – a far slower rate than he’s managed in the current campaign. He pitched in with seven as Leverkusen stunned the competition to steal Bayern’s crown in 2023/24 – a decent record, but a long way short of his best. He’s making up for that this term, though.
While Schick will hope to push Kane all the way in the race for this season’s Bundesliga’s golden boot, he can deal a direct blow to his rival in a different competition on Wednesday. Bayern welcome Leverkusen to the Allianz Arena for the first leg of an all-German UEFA Champions League round of 16 showdown.
Bayern signed Kane to make the difference on the biggest stage and will look at his superior goal tally as proof they have the best striker in the country when the sides meet. Though the numbers suggest it could actually be Leverkusen in possession of the more potent goal threat.
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