Kane’s £7,000 Chingford statue sidelined because nobody wants it
England captain statue sat in storage after Waltham Forest council unable to find suitable location
COMPARED to some celebrity statues, it is not a bad likeness – and certainly not worthy of being hidden in storage for several years but now the statue of England football captain Harry Kane can finally be revealed.
The work, commissioned in 2019 by Waltham Forest council at a cost of £7,200, shows England’s record scorer sitting on a bench in kit while resting a ball on his knee.
Numerous legendary footballers and managers have been honoured with statues, typically outside football stadiums or where they grew up, but it is unusual for such a work to be commissioned while they are still playing. Previous tributes to prominent players have flopped, most notably the infamous bust of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madeira airport in 2017.
Chingford-raised Kane’s statue was hidden from public view after council chiefs were unable to find a suitable location where he grew up. There had previously been plans to place the statue on a platform at Chingford Overground Station, but this was rejected following a risk assessment by Transport for London.
Cllr Emma Best, who is the leader of Waltham Forest Conservatives, said that “hours and hours” had been spent trying to find a place to honour a player who is both England and Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer.
A spokesman for Kane has said that they were “really excited” about the statue and that they hoped that a location could be found in the coming months. “It is what he deserves,” the spokesman told the BBC.
“The location of the statue is really important to us and like Emma said we are having some issues at the moment, but when we get it right, we will be happy to go.”
Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman, has said that he hopes Kane will one day also be honoured with a statue outside the stadium of a club he first joined as an academy player in 2004. Kane, who turned down the offer of a contract extension at Tottenham, was sold to Bayern Munich last summer for €100 million (£85.4m) and has since enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career, scoring 37 goals in 35 matches for the German champions.
He is currently training with Gareth Southgate’s England squad in Burton ahead of their friendly on Saturday at Wembley against Brazil and is due to lead Bayern’s attack in the Champions League quarter-finals against Arsenal next month.
When asked last year about the prospect of a statue, Kane told Sky Sports: “A statue is a statue, it’s not something
‘A statue is a statue, it is not something that is going to make or break my career’
that’s going to make or break my career.”
After being born in Walthamstow, Kane attended Larkswood Primary Academy in Chingford and then Chingford Foundation School, where former England captain David Beckham was also educated.
Kane played for the local team Ridgeway Rovers before joining Tottenham via a brief spell in the Arsenal academy, where he was released. “Most of my family were Spurs fans and I grew up 15 minutes from the ground, so I was always going to be a Spurs fan,” said Kane.
Waltham Forest council confirmed that the first published pictures of the Kane statue were genuine. “Community Ward Funding projects are suggested by residents and approved by ward councillors,” said a council spokesman. “Each year there is clear guidance on what can and cannot receive Community Ward Funding, dependent on the corresponding theme. All ward councillors must unanimously approve projects to receive Community Ward Funding.”
With 62 goals in 89 international games, Kane one of England’s greatest ever strikers.
‘The location of the statue is really important to us ... when we get it right, we will be happy to go’