Harry Kane poses with controversial statue of himself after its unveiled following years in storage

The England captain poses next to his lookalike sculpture during the unveiling ceremony. Credit: PA

After years in storage following a rejection from Transport for London, the widely-mocked Harry Kane statue has been unveiled in London - and the footballer himself was there for the occasion.

The life-sized statue of Kane was finished nearly five years ago, after being commissioned by Waltham Forest Council, where the footballer was born, for £7,200.

It shows Kane sitting on a bench in his England kit with a football perched on his knee.

The statue unveiling at the Peter May Centre in London Credit: PA

The council has been seeking a home for the statue since. The original plan was to place it on the platform at Chingford station, but Transport for London rejected the Kane lookalike at the time.

There was a similar plan to install it at Ridgeway Park, which was also rejected.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

The statue has spent the time since locked away in storage - but was unveiled at the Peter May Sports Centre in Walthamstow on Monday, where Kane played his football as a boy.

The footballer grew up in Walthamstow. Credit: PA

When pictures of the statue surfaced earlier this year, they prompted jibes on social media. On X, one user suggested the bronze "should've been kept in storage" and another asked if it was made by the same sculptor as the questionable Cristiano Ronaldo or the infamous Diego Maradona sculptures.

Ronaldo's statue had to be replaced when it faced widespread criticism. Credit: AP
Maradona's statue in India Credit: AP

There were also questions online as to why a council-funded statue had not been put on public display until years after its completion.

Kane didn't seem to mind the criticism over his lookalike's appearance, taking selfies and signing the wall as it was unveiled on Monday.

Have you heard The Trapped? Listen as Daniel Hewitt exposes the UK's dirty secret...