England's captain cemented his place in the history books, but it was not as fruitful a week for some of his compatriots on the continent
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The European football season is coming to a close, and for some countries, the domestic league campaigns have already seen the final curtain come down on them. In Germany, Bayern Munich wrestled back the Bundesliga title as Harry Kane won his first career trophy, while across the border to France, several Englishmen came up well short to Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, even if they had plenty to shout about themselves.
Down in Italy, there are a few Scots doing their home country proud, but there's been less positive news coming out of the Netherlands where one Three Lions midfielder has blown the chance of hoisting high another piece of silverware.
It was a memorable week for the Brits plying their trade on the continent one way or another – and GOAL is here to run you through the biggest stories…
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPKane makes BuLi history
Two weeks ago, Kane's first career title was secured. Bayern were confirmed as Bundesliga champions once again after Bayer Leverkusen dropped points at Freiburg, and so a fortnight's worth of celebrations began.
The Bavarians were handed the trophy – the 'Meisterschale' – last week before the squad headed off to Ibiza for some fun in the sun, much to the incredulity from some corners of the German press. Whatever happened on that trip must have stayed with Kane, as he was dropped for Bayern's final game of the season away at Hoffenheim, which ended in a 4-0 win.
"This is his first title. The week may not have been as optimal for him as I would have hoped. But that's normal," head coach Vincent Kompany claimed. "I want us to start the game perfectly, with the perfect mentality and attitude. Harry had a bit of a difficult week. I don't want to take any risks and make sure we have full energy."
Kane was eventually introduced as a 61st-minute substitute, and he still had time to grab both a goal and assist before time ran out, teeing up Serge Gnabry before scoring his 26th league goal of the campaign, and 38th in all competitions. That meant the 31-year-old became the first player in Bundesliga history to finish as the division's top scorer in their first two seasons.
Taking to social media with the Torjagerkanone, the Bundesliga's cannon equivalent of the Golden Boot, Kane said: "This one’s coming home with me! Buzzing to be Bundesliga top goal-scorer for the second year in a row, and this one’s even more special as it goes alongside the Bundesliga title! Couldn’t have achieved this without the support of my team-mates!"
Sunday's match was also the last game for Eric Dier in a Bayern shirt, with his free transfer to the glamorous Monaco confirmed a few days ago. It's alright for some, eh?
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBellingham settles Madrid clash
Real Madrid's season has petered out with a sheepish whimper. That much was evident when Jude Bellingham scored their second goal in a 2-0 win at Sevilla that didn't quite tell the full story of the day.
You see, Sevilla have been quite the crisis club themselves this season, only narrowly avoiding relegation and allowing their standards to slip considerably to the point that fans recently broke into the training ground to express their fury. Those relations were hardly repaired in Sunday's match at home to Los Blancos.
Transfer gossip column regular Loic Bade was sent off early on for the hosts, before Isaac Romero too was given his marching orders shortly after half-time, yet Madrid struggled to break Sevilla down. Eventually, Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock, and Bellingham then nodded in the clincher late in the day to give Madrid some momentum heading into Carlo Ancelotti's final game in charge.
Bellingham then left fans stunned as he gave a full interview in Spanish, blushing his way through answers. "We want to finish well and that’s why we went for the win, but it’s a little sad because we want to play for titles," he said. "Very bad, sorry… very nervous!" he then said for his troubles speaking the local lingo.
McTominay & Napoli stay top on nervy night
Life is stressful for Napoli fans at the best of times. After all, they headed into this weekend a point clear of Inter atop the Serie A table with two games to go, but news of a potential injury to new hero Scott McTominay would have had them pulling their hair out. "McTominay has had a few problems. But we will always find the solution, regardless," head coach Antonio Conte said prior to Sunday's trip to Parma.
Nevertheless, McTominay started and completed the whole game. Even though he didn't get on the scoresheet this time around, he went pretty damn close, with Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki tipping over a brilliant free-kick from the Scotsman to ensure a frantically low-quality game finished 0-0.
Over at San Siro, Scudetto rivals Inter led twice against Lazio, but were pegged back on both occasions late on in a thrilling 2-2 draw, missing the chance to leapfrog Conte's side in the standings with only one round of fixtures remaining. Therefore, as long as Napoli match the Nerazzurri's result on the final day, they will win Serie A and McTominay will become a king of Italy. What a story.
AFPHenderson's title choke is complete
Back in April, Ajax moved nine points clear at the top of the Eredivisie table. The title was surely heading back to Amsterdam. And yet when the final whistle for the season sounded, they finished one point behind PSV Eindhoven.
This was a collapse of epic proportion, one so unthinkable that Hollywood might have rejected its script for being too outlandish. Led by captain Jordan Henderson, Ajax went four games without a win and had to ask a favour of Sparta Rotterdam on the final day to stand a chance at glory. Henderson, for his part, put Ajax ahead midway through the first half of their 2-0 victory over Twente, and for a brief period of time, PSV appeared to be stumbling on the road, only to recalibrate their course and run out 3-1 winners.
"It's difficult and it will take some time to get over it," Henderson told post-match. "If you look back in a few weeks, you can put things into perspective. Nobody expected us to fight PSV for the title on the last day. Or that we would reach the Champions League. The [Ajax] crowd is a bit like Liverpool's, very loyal when they see that you've given everything in this shirt. We were very close."
Henderson was coy on his own future, but that of popular manager Francesco Farioli has been decided, as the Italian tendered his resignation on Monday morning after an emotional end to the season.
