The remarkable Harry Kane stat that outlines Tottenham's penalty misfortune
The Harry Kane "doesn't show up in big games" discourse should've died an emphatic death long ago, similar to the "one-season wonder" jibes.
Sure, Tottenham's record goalscorer may not deliver in every single 'big' game he's involved in, but evidence has mounted over the years that the Ballon d'Or hopeful doesn't shirk away when it matters most. People pick and choose to suit their narrative.
Anyway, he was the best player on the pitch, perhaps in tandem with compatriot Declan Rice, when Bayern Munich faced Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday. His masterclass in soccer quarterback play meant we were treated to a Kane love-in, with Thierry Henry, Rice and Mikel Arteta, among those to wax lyrical about the auxiliary centre-forward's performance.
He was UEFA's Man of the Match in the back-and-forth 2-2 draw, reminding the world why he's a worthy contender for the 2026 Ballon d'Or awarded on Monday.
While it was Kane's assist for Alphonso Davies that facilitated much of the purring, he also scored his obligatory penalty against the Gunners. Tottenham's fiercest rivals have been subject to 16 Kane strikes dating back to 2015, more than half of which have come from the penalty spot.
And that takes us to an utterly remarkable Tottenham penalty stat.
The scarcely believable Harry Kane, Tottenham penalty stat
We got ever so used to the trademark stutter and pinpoint Kane conversion from 12 yards. Our record goalscorer scored 33 of his 37 Premier League penalties, converting the last on his penultimate appearance for the club.
Since then, Tottenham supporters have barely had the chance to celebrate a penalty award and embrace the subsequent anticipation. Son Heung-min scored a few while Ange Postecoglou was in town, but we remarkably went the entire 2025/26 Premier League season without one.
It didn't help that we were dire and struggling to craft attacks, yet it was a crazy statistical anomaly. That streak has continued into the new season, and we're now up to 45 Premier League games without a penalty. Burnley's record of 67 is under threat!
Moreover, Kane has scored 25 times from the spot for club and country since Spurs were last awarded a Premier League penalty.
Is there an explanation? Some will cry conspiracy, and we certainly have a right to feel aggrieved given some of the decisions that went against us last season. We even had a penalty overturned at Sunderland, when Randal Kolo Muani was brought down by a clumsy Luke O'Nien challenge. Soft? Sure. A 'clear and obvious' error? No chance.
Anyway, there's reason to believe that our fortunes will soon turn. The fact that we were so bad last season contributed to our penalty malaise, but Roberto De Zerbi has us playing some nice stuff. In fact, we've had more touches in the final third than any team in the Premier League this season.
Should we continue to linger around the opposition's box, it's surely only a matter of time until our penalty duck is broken.
