Harry to be awarded Freedom of the City of London

Harry Kane will be awarded the Freedom of the City of London at a special ceremony in January.

The Academy graduate turned England captain, born in Walthamstow, poised to break all-time goalscoring records at both the Club and international levels, has been nominated for the Freedom by the City of London Corporation’s Policy Chairman, Chris Hayward, and its Deputy Policy Chairman, Keith Bottomley.

The award, which was agreed by the City Corporation’s elected Court of Common Council, will be made in recognition of his outstanding sporting achievements.

Three-times Golden Boot winner in the Premier League, an accolade he also achieved in leading England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018, Harry is now just seven goals from matching and eight goals from overtaking Jimmy Greaves' all-time goals record for Spurs of 266.

Harry, now 29, became the first Spur to score 100 Premier League goals back in 2018 and he's now up to 193, third in the competition's all-time list behind Wayne Rooney (208) and Alan Shearer (260).

The Club's all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League (193) and in European competition (45), Harry recently became only the 13th player to make 400-plus appearances for Spurs in all competitions since we joined the Football League in 1908. He received the MBE for services to football in 2019.

Internationally, he's just two goals from matching and three from overtaking Wayne Rooney's all-time England mark of 53 goals, with 51 goals in 75 caps to date. He's captained his country since 2018 and led them to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018 and final of the European Championships last summer.

Harry Kane said: "I am extremely proud and grateful to be awarded the Freedom of the City of London award. This is a proud moment for myself and my family. It is a real honour to be recognised by the city I grew up in and love, and I am looking forward to meeting those who nominated me at the award ceremony."

City of London Corporation Policy Chairman, Chris Hayward, said: “We are delighted that Harry will be awarded the Freedom of the City. It is richly deserved. Harry is a superstar for so many football fans. He has made a massive contribution to sport and London.”

City of London Corporation Deputy Policy Chairman, Keith Bottomley, said: “It is fantastic that Harry will receive a Freedom in recognition of everything he has achieved. Harry is, in every sense, at the top of his game. This Freedom will go some way towards expressing our admiration for his tremendous skill on the pitch, and our considerable pride in him.”

About the Freedom of the City

One of the City of London’s ancient traditions, the Freedom is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade.

As well as being nominated for, or applying for, the Freedom, it is also offered by the City of London Corporation to individuals as a way of paying tribute to their outstanding contribution to London or public life, or to celebrate a very significant achievement.

In August, it was announced that the entire England Women’s Football Team will be awarded the Freedom of the City of London, following its 2-1 win over Germany in the European Championship Final at Wembley.

Recent high-profile recipients of the Freedom include former England cricketer, Sajid Mahmood; Nobel Prize-winning mathematical physicist, Professor Sir Roger Penrose; and singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran.

Meanwhile, the Museum of London is hosting a special free display about Harry curated in collaboration with the player, open until 4 December.

He also recently launched the Harry Kane Foundation.