After five years in storage and despite claims it does not quite capture its subject, a shiny metal statue of Harry Kane seated has been unveiled – much to the delight of the man himself.
The England and Bayern Munich forward beamed as he unveiled a statue of himself on Monday in Waltham Forest, the London borough where he was born and learned his craft as a child.
The statue of the former Tottenham Hotspur striker was commissioned in 2019 at a cost of £7,200 but the local council didn’t know where to put it.
After seeing images of it earlier this year, many people came up with their own suggestions. Not all of them were Arsenal fans.
As to its likeness, social media has been inundated with mocking comments. It’s “the stuff of nightmares”, said one. “Looks nothing like him,” said another. “It is more Desperate Dan than Roy of the Rovers,” said the art historian Richard Morris on X.
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.”
Asked what her initial reaction was she replied: “I just thought the Roman emperors wouldn’t have put up with it, with this sort of standard.
“It’s imposing because of its size and it’s fantastical because of its size, but it lacks any aesthetic creativity.”
Kane was more upbeat, saying after the unveiling: “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.”
Those feelings are not likely to end the mockery.
The Sun has labelled the statue “fugly” while the Onefootball website asked: “Is this the worst footballer statue of all time?”
The answer to that question is surely, “no, not by a long shot”.
Sculptures vying that prize must include one of Ronaldo unveiled at Madeira airport in 2017 which was lampooned in a Saturday Night Live sketch, including for looking as if Ronaldo was saying “cheese”. It was later replaced.
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, the football manager Roy Hodgson, or “someone’s gran”.
A peculiar, tiny armed sculpture of Liverpool’s Mo Salah unveiled in Sharm el-Sheikh was said to look more like Art Garfunkel or Marv from Home Alone.
The unveiling of the statue of Kane has been long delayed because of wrangling over where the best place for it is. A plan to put it in Chingford station was shelved because of concerns it would distract train drivers.
It was finally unveiled by Kane at Peter May Sports Centre, which Kane also opened in 2016 and where his childhood club, Ridgeway Rovers, have modern facilities.
The Kane statue joins a long tradition of British sports stars being the subject of public sculptures. The Sheffield University-based Sporting Statues Project lists more than 350 of them, with about a third being footballers.
Many of them are well-regarded and much liked, from Jack Charlton in Ashington, Northumberland to a young Brian Clough in Albert Park, Middlesbrough, to Bobby Moore outside Wembley stadium.
Others less so, including the George Best statue, which some fans compared to Lionel Richie. The artist responsible for the sculpture, Tony Currie, was pragmatic, telling the BBC: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
