Harry Kane was released by Arsenal at the age of eight but the Gunners kept two other strikers in his age group.
Harry Kane of FC Bayern Munich looks on prior to the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Bayern Munich at Veltins-Aren
Harry Kane has flourished since leaving the Arsenal academy. (Image: Getty)
Harry Kane stands among football's elite and is a genuine contender for the Ballon d'Or. Yet the prolific forward was released by Arsenal at just eight years old, with the club choosing to retain two other young strikers instead. The Bayern Munich and England striker is enjoying the finest spell of his career ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash with the Gunners. Following his departure from Tottenham — where he established himself as the club's record goalscorer and an undisputed icon — Kane has been utterly devastating in the Bundesliga, reaching 102 league goals in just 100 appearances last Saturday.
His overall record for Bayern stands at an extraordinary 155 goals across 157 matches. Additionally, he recently became England's joint-most capped player with 125 appearances a fortnight ago, celebrating the milestone with his 90th and 91st international strikes to further extend his record haul.
The 33-year-old has propelled himself into Ballon d'Or contention following a Bundesliga title win and leading England to third place at the World Cup. Yet before achieving such heights, Kane was overlooked by Arsenal.
While Kane built his reputation at Spurs, he initially came through Arsenal's youth system. Leaving after just one season, he subsequently joined White Hart Lane aged 11 — and the rest, as they say, is history.
With Arsenal now preparing to face Kane in Europe's premier competition, Express Sport examines the two strikers the club preferred over him and how their careers ultimately unfolded...
Former Gunners academy coach Dan Buck highlighted the two strikers from Kane's age bracket who outshone him: Benik Afobe and Chuks Aneke.
Speaking to The Athletic, Buck said: "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."
The Leyton-born striker joined Arsenal's youth system in 2001 and remained with the club for nearly 14 years. He signed his first professional contract in 2010 despite interest from Barcelona and showed enormous promise.
However, throughout his time with the Gunners, he featured in matchday squads only as an unused substitute and departed in 2015 without making a single senior appearance for them.
Rather, Afobe went on six different loan spells while at the north London club. These began with Huddersfield Town, followed by stints at Reading, Bolton, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday, and ultimately MK Dons.
Afobe flourished at Milton Keynes and throughout the 2014/15 campaign he netted 19 times in 30 appearances, including a double in the Dons' memorable 4-0 League Cup triumph over Manchester United. This prolific form led Wolves to sign him from Arsenal in January 2015 for approximately £2million.
He experienced another successful spell at Molineux before securing a lucrative transfer to Bournemouth in January 2016. Afobe commanded a £10m fee from the Cherries and netted 11 goals during two and a half campaigns with the club.
However, he quickly slipped down the hierarchy and made his way back to Wolves, contributing to their promotion to the Premier League in 2017/18.
Wolves subsequently signed him on a permanent basis but promptly sent him to Stoke City for a substantial £12m fee. Yet Afobe struggled to justify the hefty price tag and fitness problems hampered his spell in Staffordshire.
He managed just nine goals across 51 outings and had loan spells at Bristol City, Trabzonspor and Millwall before departing for The Den in 2022. Afobe recaptured some of his best form with the Lions before embarking on an international journey.
Now 33, he currently represents United Arab Emirates-based outfit Gulf United FC, having previously played for Hatta, Al Dhafra and subsequently Al-Arabi. Afobe has also played for Qatari side Al-Mesaimeer.
Quite a departure from World Cup semi-finals and German league titles....
Benik Afobe of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 2-0 during the Sky Bet Championship match betw
Benik Afobe was picked over Harry Kane by Arsenal. (Image: Getty)
In contrast to Afobe, Aneke did make a senior appearance for Arsenal. He came on as a late substitute during a 3-1 League Cup win against Shrewsbury Town in September 2011.
The forward, born in Newham, entered the Gunners' academy at the age of seven and found the net twice in senior friendlies for the club, playing as an attacking midfielder. Between 2011 and 2014, he embarked on four loan spells, turning out for Stevenage, Preston North End and Crewe Alexandra across two stints.
He finished as Crewe's top scorer in the 2013/14 campaign, netting 16 goals.
Released by Arsenal in 2014, Aneke put pen to paper with Belgian Pro League outfit Zulte Waregem. He managed a modest five goals in 53 outings before making a swift return to England, linking up with MK Dons where, much like Afobe, he underwent a remarkable transformation.
He found the net 33 times across three seasons at Stadium MK after reinventing himself as a powerful, physical striker, before eventually making the move to Charlton in 2019. It was at The Valley where Aneke truly made his mark, across two separate spells (2019–2021 and 2022–2025), with a brief spell at Birmingham City in between.
Aneke pulled on the Charlton shirt 138 times, earning cult status amongst supporters largely as an impact substitute, coming off the bench to turn matches with his imposing presence. He brought the curtain down on his playing career with a short-lived chapter at Shrewsbury Town last season before calling time on his professional days.
While neither Afobe nor Aneke can claim to have replicated Kane's extraordinary achievements, both have enjoyed distinguished careers at home and overseas. Arsenal, who face Bayern on Wednesday evening, will surely rue the day they made an enemy of Kane by letting him slip through their fingers.
In his 2018 Players' Tribune piece, he made clear the snub had never left him.
Kane 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.'"