KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — England may not have brought home the World Cup trophy but they will return home with a new member of the team — a stray cat.
The tabby, which has been renamed Dave, was adopted by the Three Lions defenders Kyle Walker and John Stones.
Dave befriended the England team during their four-week stay in Qatar, The Guardian reported.
Although Walker had said they would bring the cat home only if the team triumphed in the competition, the players had become too fond of Dave to say a final farewell when they departed from their training base at Al Wakrah.
Dave has since been taken to a local veterinary clinic for tests and vaccinations and will spend four months in quarantine before what is presumably a free transfer to Manchester City — or to the care of Stones or Walker, who both play for the Premier League champions.
“They’re still undecided as to who’s having him but he’s going back,” said a woman tasked with taking Dave to the vet’s on Sunday, in a video posted by Rich McCarthy on Twitter.
Football may not be coming home but Dave the Cat is. England’s adopted mascot has begun his journey to the UK this afternoon @PA pic.twitter.com/09rQQuCIKP
— Rich McCarthy (@VJRichMcCarthy) December 11, 2022
“He was just there one day so we’ve just adopted him, me and Stonesy,” Walker told the FA’s official media channel during England’s World Cup campaign.
“Dave is welcome to the table... Some people really don’t like the cat, but I love him,” he said.
Cats have stolen the limelight at the 2022 Qatar World Cup seen during France training sessions earlier in the tournament, where forward Randal Kolo Muani revealed teammate Ousmane Dembele's fear of cats.
“Yes, cats. There are cats who roam outdoors. When we eat outdoors, there are cats strolling around. And Ousmane is scared of them. It makes everyone laugh.”
'Dave' was not the only member of the feline community to make an appearance at the tournament as Brazil's Vinicius Jr. was interrupted by another cat at a press conference, before it was dropped off the side of the table by Brazil's press office that left many upset.
this is why brazil got knocked out ... karma IS a cat pic.twitter.com/bmal2Fb0xO
— dula peep (@alxinnw) December 9, 2022
The viral moment left many calling Brazil's subsequent 2-4 loss to Croatia leading to their knock-out in the competition 'karma' and 'the curse of the cat'.
