Harry Maguire £50 note petition backed by Kyle Walker
'Make it happen England! I'll be happy on a fiver. Plus a bigger amount needs a bigger head'
Wednesday 17 October 2018 08:35, UK
Harry Maguire has been backed by England team-mate Kyle Walker to be the new face of the £50 note in an online petition.
The Bank of England is redesigning the highest denomination of banknote in the UK - which will be made of plastic like the current £5 and £10 notes - and the public have been suggesting who should be on the front of it.
More than 14,000 people have signed a petition to make Leicester defender Maguire, pictured riding an inflatable unicorn, taken during a recovery session in Russia, the new face of the £50 note.
The 25-year-old has become one of the most popular suggestions to replace Matthew Boulton and James Watt - trailblazers of the industrial revolution - after his performances as England reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990 in the summer.
The petition, created by Jonny Sharples, has been shared on Twitter by Walker, who said: "Make it happen England! I'll be happy on a fiver. Plus a bigger amount needs a bigger head."
The tweet contains a photo-shopped image of Walker on a £5 note, lying down with his legs in the air.
Maguire, who has affectionately been labelled 'slab head' by England players and fans alike, responded the tweet by saying: "Can't even make the new fiver!"
Walker replied with an internet meme of his team-mate, which went viral during the Three Lions' World Cup campaign.
Posted on Change.org, the petition reads: "The Bank of England are redesigning the £50 following the successful redesign of the £5, £10, and £20 notes.
"None of these notes so far have featured a World Cup semi finalist floating on a mythical creature, and in the interests of football's attempts to come home, who would be more appropriate to feature than Harry Maguire riding an inflatable unicorn?"
England defeated Spain 3-2 on Monday, their first victory on Spanish soil since 1987.
Gareth Southgate's side host USA on November 15 before finishing their UEFA Nations League campaign with a home game against Croatia on November 18.
