Harry Kane, a Ballon d'Or front-runner, was released by Arsenal at the age of eight in favour of two other young forwards: Benik Afobe and Chuks Aneke. The Bayern Munich and England striker is set to face the Gunners in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Since leaving Tottenham, where he became the club's all-time top scorer, Kane has scored his 102nd league goal in his 100th game for Bayern. Overall, he has scored 155 goals in 157 appearances for the German club. He also became England's joint-highest appearance maker two weeks ago, earning his 125th cap and scoring his 90th and 91st goals.
Why Arsenal Let Kane Go
Kane was part of Arsenal's academy for a single season before being released. He eventually joined Tottenham at age 11. Ex-Gunners academy coach Dan Buck told The Athletic: "I'd do a session with the under-nines who weren't selected for matches and Harry ended up being with that squad a lot. Benik and Chuks would rock up on a Sunday and score about seven each and poor Harry would get five minutes."
Afobe, born in Leyton, joined Arsenal in 2001 and spent almost 14 years there. He signed his first professional deal in 2010 amid interest from Barcelona but left in 2015 without playing a senior game, despite six loan moves to Huddersfield Town, Reading, Bolton, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday, and MK Dons.
The Careers of Afobe and Aneke
Afobe scored 19 goals in 30 games for MK Dons in the 2014/15 season, including a brace in a 4-0 League Cup win over Manchester United. Wolves signed him in January 2015 for around £2m, and he later moved to Bournemouth for £10m in January 2016, scoring 11 times. After returning to Wolves and helping them secure promotion in 2017/18, he was sold to Stoke City for £12m, where injuries derailed his time. He scored nine goals in 51 appearances and now plays for Gulf United FC in the UAE at age 33.
Aneke, born in Newham, joined Arsenal at seven and made one senior appearance as a late substitute in a 3-1 League Cup victory against Shrewsbury Town in September 2011. After four loans, he was released in 2014 and joined Zulte Waregem, scoring five goals in 53 games. He then moved to MK Dons, scoring 33 times across three seasons, before joining Charlton in 2019. He made 138 appearances for Charlton and finished his career with a short spell at Shrewsbury Town last season before retiring.
Kane's Motivation Against Arsenal
Kane, who helped win a Bundesliga title and guided England to a third-place World Cup finish, has not forgotten Arsenal's decision. In his 2018 Players' Tribune contribution, he said: "It might sound ridiculous - I was only eight when they [Arsenal] let me go - but every time we played them, I thought, 'Alright, we'll see who's right and who's wrong.'"
