November 20 – England captain and all-time record goal scorer, Harry Kane is an idol to many and has been memorialized in different ways, however, even his most ardent fans will pause for thought after a statue of the Bayern Munich striker was unveiled after five years in storage.
The shiny statue, which Kane is reported to be delighted about, has drawn mixed reaction to say the least, however the goal-hungry Kane said it is “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.”
The unveiling happened in Waltham Forest, the London borough where he was born and learned his craft as a child. The statue was commissioned in 2019 at a cost of £7,200 but the local council didn’t know where to put it.
Judging by social media, putting it back in storage wouldn’t be a bad idea. Comments range from it’s “the stuff of nightmares”, to “Looks nothing like him,” and “It is more Desperate Dan than Roy of the Rovers.”
The art critic Estelle Lovatt told Sky News: “If you think about it historically, a public statue was there to immortalise, show off, and loudly boast of the achievements and accomplishments of the person. If it doesn’t really bear a resemblance to the person, it’s quite difficult to relate to it. It’s imposing because of its size and it’s fantastical because of its size, but it lacks any aesthetic creativity.”
The Sun newspaper, labelled the statue ‘fugly’ while the Onefootball website asked: “Is this the worst footballer statue of all time?”
Kane does have competition in that department though as the Cristiano Ronaldo statue at Madeira airport in 2017 was hammered for looking as if Ronaldo was saying “cheese”. It was later replaced.
Diego Maradona has been the subject of more than his fair share of dodgy representations, possibly topped by a 12ft sculpture in Kolkata, India, which was said to look more like Bobby Ewing from Dallas or the former football manager Roy Hodgson.
The unveiling of the statue of Kane has been long delayed because of wrangling over where the best place for it is. It was finally unveiled by Kane at the Peter May Sports Centre. Peter May was a famous English cricketer and journalist.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1734914751labto1734914751ofdlr1734914751owedi1734914751sni@o1734914751fni1734914751