Kyle Walker has completed English football.
Eyebrows were raised ahead of the Champions League final when Pep Guardiola left the England right-back out of the Manchester City side. Given Walker’s importance in stopping Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr last month, having him on the bench seemed odd.
However, there was no ill will from the former Tottenham Hotspur man post-match as, with minutes remaining, Guardiola called upon his experience to see the game out. Walker is now immortalised at the Etihad Stadium after clinching the only trophy that eluded him in club football: the Champions League.
One wonders what a certain Harry Kane must have been thinking while watching the City celebrations. Walker, a teammate for Kane with England, made his debut in North London while the Tottenham talisman was still in the academy.
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The duo shared a dressing room at club level for four seasons but failed to win any silverware - despite coming close in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Fast forward to the present and Walker’s trophy cabinet is now brimming with gongs - while Kane’s remains bare.
Competing for honours was the reason why Walker - regarded as one of England’s all-time top right-backs - left Spurs to join Guardiola in Manchester. With five Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, four League Cups and now a Champions League in the bank, it is safe to say his dreams have been realised.
"I feel, with the players we have got, with the manager we have got, we need to start picking up silverware," Walker said in his first interview as a Man City player. "That is what I came here for. I was unfortunate at Tottenham.
"We made it so close in the last two seasons, it was just that sometimes we were unlucky. Sometimes we just didn’t have that little bit of edge. But I am hoping with the players we have here, with the world-class players we have here, we will have that edge and go and lift a trophy, which is what I want to do in my career.
"I am not going to sit here and disrespect Tottenham one bit because what they have done for me over the years is fantastic and I am more than grateful. The way they have made the stepping stones in the right direction over the years I have been there is crazy. But I am a Manchester City player now. I am fully focused on that and picking up silverware with them."
Spurs fans may not wish to admit it but the carrot dangled further in front of Kane’s face with City’s Champions League victory last night. A player of his quality cannot be left empty-handed once the boots are hung up. That would be a crying shame.
Few supporters would have cared watching Walker celebrate with glee alongside other City players, like Jack Grealish, who ditched their boyhood club for glory. When the England squad link up next week for an end-of-season double-header, the Man City players are going to be rocking, still on a high from the open top bus parade.
Spare a thought for Kane, the leader of the pack, as he weighs up his Tottenham future.
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