Step aside Harry Kane and David Beckham… there’s another king in Chingford

You’d think that if anyone deserved a statue in Chingford, it’d be two of the most famous English footballers of all time: David Beckham and Harry Kane.

But it turns out that both players don’t have statues placed in their birthplace. Instead, lesser-known - but still a legend of the game - Laurie Cunningham is the only player to boast a statue in Chingford.

So apparently…

…Kane’s statue has been in the making since 2019. It costs around £7,200 which is less than a life-size German Shepard statue - which would set you back £9,000. Surely England and Spur’s record scorer deserves something a bit grander?

The statue was supposed to be placed outside Chingford’s Weaver Line Overground railway station. 

But the council worries that the statue could be targetted by rival fans. So, instead, the statue remains somewhere in the vaults of Waltham Forest Council.

That means that… 

…two of Chingford’s best products are yet to feature in the Essex borough. 

Beckham won’t care as much. He has a statue outside of the LA Galaxy stadium in what the club called ‘Legends Plaza’ – probably more desirable than Leytonstone’s tube station. 

As it stands, Laurie Cunningham is the only footballer perched in the borough. And, deservedly so. Cunningham was England’s first black international, the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid, and was named one of West Brom’s 16 greatest players.

So, for the time being, Cunningham takes pole position in Chingford.