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

England captain Harry Kane proudly posed with the controversial statue when it was unveiled in east London, as ITV News correspondent Geraint Vincent reports

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 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.

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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.

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.

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.

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