A statue of England captain Harry Kane has been officially unveiled five years after it was commissioned by a London council.
In 2019, Waltham Forest Council spent £7,200 ($9,000) from budget set aside for “local initiatives, projects or improvements” to commemorate the Chingford-born striker’s links to the area.
The completed statue had to be kept in storage after original plans to place it on public display in Chingford overground railway station had to be shelved following a risk-assessment study carried out by Transport for London (TFL).
As previously reported by The Athletic, TFL objected to its proposed placement inside the station over fears it could impact train drivers’ line of sight and lead to a possible accident.
Leaked photos of the statue went viral in May.
Since the statue was commissioned, Kane has become the all-time leading goalscorer for Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. In 2023 he joined Bayern Munich, where he has scored 61 goals in 61 appearances in all competitions.
A real proud moment for me to go back to where my life in football began and unveil a statue. I hope it helps inspire the next generation to work hard and believe in themselves. 🙌📸 pic.twitter.com/rbAs8RrZgS
— Harry Kane (@HKane) November 18, 2024
The 31-year-old was in attendance to witness the monument’s unveiling at the Peter May Centre in Walthamstow, where Kane played football as a child with his boyhood club, Ridgeway Rovers.
Kane posed for photos alongside his bronze likeness, which recreates the former Spurs striker in full England kit with a football on his knee.
“A real proud moment for me to go back to where my life in football began and unveil a statue,” Kane wrote on social media on Monday.
“I hope it helps inspire the next generation to work hard and believe in themselves.”
On Sunday, Kane scored from the penalty spot in England’s 5-0 win over Republic of Ireland to take his international goal tally to 68.
(Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)
