A little-known ‘rule’ means Harry Kane is yet to score his first official hat-trick for Bayern Munich.
Harry Kane has continued his remarkable form with another Bayern Munich hat-trick but a bizarre ‘rule’ in German football means it technically doesn’t count as such.
Kane, 31, has scored an incredible 49 goals in as many games for Bayern since joining them from Tottenham in 2023.
The striker, who recently scored twice on his 100th appearance for England, continued his excellent form on Saturday with three goals in a 6-1 win for Bayern over Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga.
It was the fifth time that Kane has scored three goals in a game for the German giants.
But he is still waiting to record his first official hat-trick for the club, due to a technicality in how they are viewed in Germany.
As reported by The Athletic, hat-tricks are subject to extra-strict standards in German football.
According to the Bundesliga’s official dictionary, all three goals must be scored in the same half to count as a hat-trick.
It adds that the German hat-trick should “not be confused with the standard English definition of the term”.
Kane scored twice in the first half against Holstein Kiel before adding a third from the penalty spot in second-half injury time.
So, what do Germans call three goals that aren’t a hat-trick?
They use the term ‘Dreierpack’, a three-pack, like a set of three beers that are sold in shops.
There are signs, however, that the Bundesliga could be softening its stance towards hat-tricks and the English definition of the term.
On the Bundesliga’s official English website, they use hat-trick to describe Kane’s performance at the weekend.
Kane himself will care little about how his goals are referred to, as long as they keep coming.
His penalty on Saturday took him to 40 goals in the Bundesliga, making him the joint-top English scorer in German top-flight history – along with former Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, who is now on loan at Chelsea from Manchester United.
Kane will hope to continue his fine form when Bayern next face Dinamo Zagreb in the new-look Champions League on Tuesday night before they return to league action against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
